New Center Will Feature Gymnasium; Walking Track; Indoor Swimming Pool; Fitness, Strength, and Cardio Rooms; Media Lab; and Teaching Kitchen
Project Will Be Completed Two Years Faster Than Through Competitive Bidding Thanks to DDC’s Design-Build Program
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Commissioner Thomas Foley, and New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) Commissioner Sue Donoghue were today joined by New York City Councilmember Farah N. Louis, New York State Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte-Hermelyn, and community members to break ground on the new, $141 million Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center at the Nostrand Playground in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. DDC is managing the construction on behalf of NYC Parks.
The new center is named for Brooklyn-born politician, and the first African American woman to serve in Congress, Shirley Chisholm. The daughter of immigrant parents from Guyana, Chisholm also made history as the first woman and African American to seek the nomination for president of the United States from one of the two major political parties. Her contributions to her community and country are reflective of her desire to affect change.
“Shirley Chisholm inspired millions of young girls to pursue dreams they never thought possible. And when the Shirley Chisholm Recreational Center opens, her name will once again inspire another generation, while providing the residents of East Flatbush with a state-of-the-art recreational center that honors the rich history and heritage of this vibrant community,” said Mayor Adams. “I am especially pleased to see that the media lab will bear the name of a personal friend and mentor, Dr. Roy Hastick, who was a true champion of the Caribbean community in East Flatbush. With this project, our administration is using all the tools at our disposal to deliver amenities for New Yorkers more quickly and efficiently than ever before.”
Rendering of the Shirley Chisholm Recreational Center in East Flatbush. Credit: New York City Department of Design and Construction
“Shirley Chisholm dared to be a catalyst of change, and this state-of-the-art recreation center will be the inspirational starting blocks for the next generation of New Yorkers to make their mark in the history of our city and beyond,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. “Thanks to DDC’s design-build program, we will complete this project two years faster than under design-bid-build contracting, and with higher M/WBE utilization rates. Facilities like these underscores the urgency of additional tools, as outlined by the Capital Process Reform Task Force, that will help us to deliver much-needed capital projects throughout the city faster, cheaper, and with greater participation.”
“This project is not only a monument to the famed civil rights leader Shirley Chisholm, it also represents a milestone in city construction as we continue to implement design-build in our capital program,” said DDC Commissioner Foley. “The design-build method involves contracting teams’ designers and builders together as one unit, leading to fewer delays and conflicts, better problem solving, and faster and more efficient projects. Using design-build, we plan to complete the new Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center by the end of 2025 — two full years faster than would be expected with lowest bidder contracting.”
“New Yorkers remember Shirley Chisholm as a trailblazer, organizer, and icon. Soon, generations of New Yorkers will also associate her name with this vibrant community hub in the heart of Central Brooklyn — a demonstration of the city’s investing in communities that have historically been neglected,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Donoghue. “True to Shirley Chisholm’s legacy, this administration believes that all New Yorkers — regardless of race, gender, or ZIP code — deserve to be full participants in our city’s cultural, social, political, and economic life. With this new recreation center, the first new Parks recreation center to begin construction in the past eight years, Central Brooklyn residents will have access to vital recreation resources, a beautiful community space, and a state-of-the-art media lab.”
Upon its completion at the end of 2025, the state-of the art recreation center will offer a host of programming offerings and amenities to encourage learning, recreation, and community and civic engagement. The center’s features will include multipurpose rooms; a gymnasium; a walking track; an indoor swimming pool; fitness, strength, and cardio rooms; and a teaching kitchen. The center will also include a media lab named in honor of Dr. Roy A. Hastick, Sr. A Grenadian emigrant and community stalwart, Dr. Hastick founded the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry and served on a number of economic development and community boards to advocate on behalf of the East Flatbush community.
The project is part of DDC’s design-build pilot program and will be completed by the end of 2025, a full two years faster than would be expected under the preexisting lowest-bidder contracting system. Under design-build, design and construction firms cooperate under one overall contract for all design and construction services. This approach increases cooperation between the teams and can cut nine to 12 months off a project’s timeline. The use of design-build also means that construction can begin while the building’s final design is still being developed, something that would not be possible under lowest-bidder contracting.
Earlier this year, Mayor Adams’ Capital Process Reform Task Force — comprised of a group of leaders representing the construction industry, labor, and minority- and women-owned business enterprises — released a slate of 39 recommendations to improve the city’s capital process, from project initiation to closeout. One recommendation advocated for New York state to authorize progressive design-build, a one-step procurement process that would allow the city to quickly select a project team based on qualifications and collaborate throughout the essential early phases of design. This step would build on the city’s successful use of design-build, which was authorized by the state in 2019 and implemented in 2022.
“The Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center has the inspiring mission of serving the community with the same dedication as its namesake, so we are honored to bring our design-build expertise to this important project,” said Steve Sommer, executive general manager and president, east coast region construction, Lendlease. “By collaborating with Studio Gang, DDC, and NYC Parks, we are excited to successfully deliver this recreation center in East Flatbush.”
“I am grateful to have the opportunity to honor Shirley Chisholm’s legacy of public service with a building that will be a true community asset,” said Jeanne Gang, founding principal and partner, Studio Gang. “We designed this building to welcome everyone to gather, learn and play together, and enjoy the park in a renewed way.”
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