Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center: A New Community Hub in Brooklyn

In East Flatbush, Brooklyn, the Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center reinterprets the civic center as contemporary social infrastructure. Designed by Studio Gang, the 6,900 m² building functions as an open, inclusive hub for sports, learning, and community life.

Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center: Civic architecture

Dedicating the facility to Shirley Chisholm anchors the project in a specific political and cultural legacy. The Brooklyn-born educator and activist became the first Black woman elected to Congress in 1968. She devoted her life to civil rights, public education, and marginalized communities, and East Flatbush is one of the neighborhoods she campaigned for most persistently.

The project continues her political legacy as social infrastructure intended to restore dignity, opportunity, and a sense of belonging to a community that for decades has had insufficient public investment and youth facilities.

A community reference point

Between a public school and a shady new plaza, the facility’s siting reinforces its civic purpose. Its transparent entrance, set into a curved brick façade articulated by large arched windows, invites people to step inside. The building extends outward to the street, asserting its inclusive, community nature.

Dedicated to recreation and exercise, the three lower levels include a double-height gymnasium with seating and an elevated walking track, a competition-grade swimming pool, and dance and fitness rooms. From the lobby, visitors can see the different activities through openings between floors, resulting in a bright, airy atmosphere.

The upper floor hosts educational and community amenities, including afterschool programs and teaching spaces, along with a multimedia lab named for local entrepreneur and civic leader Dr. Roy A. Hastick. Naturally lit, these spaces open onto a wrap-around rooftop terrace and gardens – places that promote physical and mental well-being where people can connect to nature. The architecture therefore establishes a continuity between exercise, learning, and social life.

Reduced carbon footprint

With the design addressing the building’s whole life cycle, the center has achieved LEED Platinum certification. A high-performance building envelope, energy recovery systems, and all-electric heating and cooling reduce energy use and emissions. A whole-building life-cycle assessment guided the selection of materials, with durable solutions prioritized.

Structural mass timber, including the fish-bellied beams over the pool, performs well in humid areas while also lowering the building’s environmental impact. Green roofs, expanded tree cover, and responsible stormwater management also contribute to the building’s sustainability.

The Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center clearly expresses its public and social scope. Works by sculptor, painter, poet, and activist Vanessa German integrated into the architecture reinforce this aspect. Art and architecture share a common responsibility in this project to create lively, accessible spaces that represent and support the community they serve.

>>> Discover the headquarters of MRNY, an organization committed to defending disadvantaged communities and individuals in New York