Palisades Breaks Ground on $50M Rec Center
On the grounds where generations of children played and families gathered, city leaders and community partners broke ground Tuesday on a new Palisades Recreation Center — a more than $50 million project intended to restore one of the neighborhood’s central gathering places after the January 2025 wildfire.
The fully philanthropically funded project is the largest public-private partnership in the history of the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, according to project organizers. Construction is expected to take 14 to 16 months.
The groundbreaking brought together Mayor Karen Bass, Los Angeles City Councilmember Traci Park, Steadfast LA founder Rick Caruso, Los Angeles Lakers head coach and LA Strong Sports co-founder JJ Redick, Recreation and Parks officials, designers and Palisades community leaders. Their message was that rebuilding the recreation center is about more than replacing damaged facilities: It is about restoring a place where neighborhood life can resume. “Today is about the Palisades community. Today is about hope,” Bass said. “Rebuilding the Rec Center is a vital step — where families can come together, children can play and neighbors can connect. It’s about restoring places that bring people together and make a neighborhood feel like home.”
Kroenke Unveils $135M Ball Arena Renovation
Kroenke Sports & Entertainment announced a $135 million renovation project for the home of the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche and Colorado Mammoth.
In a press release Friday, the organization said the biggest changes are coming to Ball Arena’s entrance facing downtown Denver, and fans can look forward to three brand-new club sections. The project will reportedly be complete for the 2028 and 2029 seasons.
The entertainment group said it will submit a site development plan to the City of Denver by the end of the day Friday. New renderings show how different the east entrance could look in three years.
Mass Timber Anchors New San Francisco Recreation Center
A recreation center that opened earlier this year at the edge of San Francisco’s John McLaren Park uses mass timber and indoor-outdoor connections to reflect its natural setting.
The 1,161 m2 (12,500 sf) Herz Recreation Center serves as a gateway to the city’s second-largest park and provides the Sunnydale and Visitacion Valley neighborhoods with recreation, gathering, and fitness spaces.
The design integrates the building with its park setting. Large indoor-outdoor connections reinforce that approach, while exposed wood and mass timber shape the interior.
The center includes a gymnasium with a full-size basketball court and bleacher seating, as well as a multipurpose room for community events and supporting spaces.
Outside, an accessible community fitness plaza, a nature exploration area, and gathering spaces extend the facility into the park. The landscape and building design create a continuous connection with the surrounding setting.
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