West Palm Beach breaks ground on $14.8 million renovation at Gaines Park
West Palm Beach broke ground Friday on a long-awaited, $14.8 million renovation and expansion at Gaines Park that will include a bigger gymnasium and more tennis courts.
"The Gaines Park Tennis & Community Centers represents a significant investment in the well-being and vitality of our community," Mayor Keith James said. "These facilities will not only provide opportunities for physical activity and skill development but also serve as inclusive spaces where residents can come together, form connections, and strengthen the fabric of our community."
The facilities at Gaines Park were built in the mid-1970s and has hosted youth, teen and senior programs and served as a community gathering point. Gaines Park and its facilities remain popular with area residents, but those facilities are showing their age.
"It is certainly due for a refreshing," James said.
What will the new Gaines Park look like?
More than a refreshing is on its way.
The park's gymnasium will be demolished and rebuilt. The community center will be renovated and expanded to 25,826 square feet from its current 17,700 square feet.
Tennis courts will be resurfaced, and two new ones will be built.
The tennis center building will be demolished and rebuilt into a larger structure of 2,000 square feet in comparison to the current 800-square-foot building.
The tennis building will honor Jimmie Horace "Doc" Horne Sr., a tennis standout who was barred from white courts during segregation.
Horne, who died in 2008, worked as a public school teacher for more than three decades and designed programs to expose children to tennis. He was inducted into the Black Tennis Hall of Fame in 2021.
The work at Gaines Park, to be paid for with money from the 2020 parks bond, the 1-cent sales tax and the federal American Rescue Plan Act, will take two years, with a grand opening expected in 2026.
Before passage of the parks bond, the city held meetings with area residents to find out what they wanted at Gaines Park.
Parks and Recreation Director Leah Rockwell said residents told city officials they simply wanted the facilities upgraded.
"We're so grateful for the invaluable input provided by various community groups, especially the Friends of Gaines Park and the Gaines Park Tennis Association," James said. "Today, we celebrate the beginning of a new chapter in the community."
Want more West Palm Beach news?
Sign up for our Post on West Palm Beach weekly newsletter, delivered every Thursday!
Wayne Washington is a journalist covering West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach and race relations at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at wwashington@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: West Palm Beach breaks ground on upgrades to facilities at Gaines Park
