Park District of Forest Park - Roos Recreation Center

Forest Park, IL
Construction Cost: $5,065,755
Area / Square Feet: 15.396 SF
Occupancy Date: April 2018

The Park District of Forest Park approached the Roos Recreation Center with the goal of improving the overall health and well-being of residents. Plans called for the redevelopment and remediation of an industrial brownfield site with much-needed green space, and to expand recreational opportunities as requested by residents.

The resulting facility became the new centerpiece for the town’s recreational offerings. The center offers a gymnasium with a two-lane walking track, health and fitness zones, multipurpose rooms and public gathering spaces, with an eye toward future expansion. The use of natural light was emphasized throughout the facility. The gymnasium features a number of translucent panels to allow daylight into the space, and full-length windows were incorporated in the lobby, multipurpose room and fitness areas.

Two pillars that framed the entrance to the Roos Cedar Chest Factory — which had stood on the site since 1918 — were incorporated into the lobby of the new facility in a nod to that piece of local history. To maintain visual cohesion, exterior stone matches that of the village’s main administrative building, which was built more than 80 years ago.