studio gang opens community-centered shirley chisholm recreation center in new york

Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center by Studio Gang opens in nyc

Studio Gang completes the 74,000-square-foot Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center for the NYC Department of Design and Construction and NYC Parks & Recreation in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. Targeting LEED Gold, the civic project establishes a multi-level public hub for fitness, recreation, and learning, consolidating a gym, pool, track, classrooms, and community programs within a sculpted brick volume, punctuated by large arched windows, that opens directly onto a new shaded plaza.

Named after Shirley Chisholm, the Brooklyn-born activist, educator, and the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress, the center positions itself as memorial and active social infrastructure. Its transparent main entrance, centrally placed between a neighboring public school and the recreation grounds, extends outward into the plaza.

all images by Alexander Severin

layered recreation across three lower floors

The lower three levels concentrate on recreation and exercise. A double-height competition-grade swimming pool and a gymnasium are visible from the lobby, immediately orienting visitors. Above the court, a walking track loops around the mezzanine, allowing movement and observation to overlap. The American architects at Studio Gang connect the floors with a centrally positioned staircase, connecting programs and encouraging interaction across age groups.

Openings between levels further dissolve separation, producing an interior that reads less as stacked facilities and more as a continuous field of activity. Dance and fitness rooms are integrated alongside the larger volumes, maintaining permeability between focused training and collective use.

Over the pool hall, gently arcing ‘fish-bellied’ mass timber beams introduce warmth to the humid environment, combining structural efficiency with material durability. The choice of timber forms part of a broader life-cycle assessment strategy that guided material selection, aiming to reduce impacts associated with extraction, manufacturing, and transport. The building incorporates a high-performance envelope, energy recovery systems, and all-electric heating and cooling to lower operational carbon.

targeting LEED Gold, the civic project establishes a multi-level public hub for fitness, recreation, and learning

learning spaces and rooftop gardens above

The upper level shifts toward community programming. Daylit rooms accommodate afterschool activities and a media lab named for East Flatbush business leader Dr. Roy A. Hastick, Sr. These learning spaces extend outward to a wrap-around rooftop terrace and gardens, offering outdoor areas within a compact urban site. The roofscape, together with expanded tree cover and green roofs, strengthens the building’s environmental agenda while providing quieter zones for gathering.

Artworks by citizen artist vanessa german are embedded throughout the architecture, from freestanding sculptures in prominent locations to smaller pieces integrated into walls, cabinets, and individual lockers. Rather than applied decoration, these works are distributed as part of the building’s everyday use, reinforcing the center’s role as a cultural as well as athletic space.

the lower three levels concentrate on recreation and exercise