A $160 million cash infusion will allow the city to demolish and completely reconstruct the decades-old Brownsville Recreation Center.
The City Council and Mayor Eric Adams wrote the funding into the city’s recently-adopted budget for Fiscal Year 2025, along with millions of dollars for other parks improvements and programs.
“We came into office with a clear mission: protect public safety, rebuild our economy, and make our city more affordable and livable for working-class New Yorkers,” Adams said at a July 10 press conference. “And providing New Yorkers with clean, vibrant public spaces, particularly in neighborhoods like Brownsville that have long been overlooked, helps us continue to deliver on that mission.”
The Brownsville Recreation Center opened its doors in 1955, and is a “safe haven” for locals since then, said local Assembly Member Latrice Walker, with community rooms, exercise equipment, a media lab, and an indoor pool.
Then-mayor Bill de Blasio announced a $20 million partial reconstruction of the facility in 2016, but when initial construction began in 2022, crews found the building in worse shape than expected.
Eventually, it became clear that a full demolition and reconstruction was necessary, said a parks department spox. Construction at the site has been on pause since at least late last year, and parts of the recreation center have been closed for construction since 2022.
The $160 million investment will allow the city to build a new “state-of-the-art” recreation center with improved facilities and amenities and expanded programming, said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi in a statement.
“Brownsville Recreation Center has always been more than just a recreational facility; it is a symbol of community strength and solidarity,” said Dr. Frank Mason, a member of the Brownsville Old Timers Committee. “Generations of parents and their children have walked through its doors, finding not only a place to exercise and engage in activities, but also a sense of belonging and a commitment to helping others. The center has fostered a spirit of cooperation and mutual support, instilling values that resonate far beyond its walls.”
The city’s Department of Design and Construction will work alongside parks department crews to ensure the center is rebuilt “quickly and efficiently,” officials said, and the departments will work with the community on the rec center’s design. Past community input from the initial redesign will still be considered, a parks representative said.
It’s not yet clear when public outreach will begin, and a timeline for the project has not yet been established. DDC is already working in the new Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center in Flatbush — a project officials said last year was ahead of schedule in part because of DDC’s design-build process.
When the Brownsville Recreation Center eventually closes for construction, the parks department plans provide alternative spaces for recreation and programming around the neighborhood.
“The Brownsville Recreation Center, affectionately known by many in this community as BRC is a place where as the late great Greg ‘Jocko’ Jackson would say, ‘Hope is inside!’” said local Council Member Chris Banks. “Today’s announcement is a testament to the legacy of that hope. In a community that unfortunately sees more negative stories than we would want, today’s announcement is a bright and positive sign that hope is truly inside!”
In addition to funding for the recreation center, Adams on Wednesday announced a $15 million investment for “second-shift” cleaning at parks across the city. More than 200 new parks staff will be hired to clean during the off-hours at 62 parks across the five boroughs.
