Hampton neighborhood center named after NASA engineer portrayed in ‘Hidden Figures’
After seven years of planning and anticipation, the Mary W. Jackson Neighborhood Center in Olde Hampton is finally open.
The 12,800 square-foot facility, located at 231 Lincoln Street in the historically Black neighborhood, honors Mary W. Jackson, NASA’s first Black female engineer who was portrayed in the hit film “Hidden Figures.”
The building features a gym, locker rooms, a fitness area, a kitchen, small meeting rooms and a multipurpose room. Outside of the center, visitors can use a fenced basketball court.
“Everyone is just elated,” said the city of Hampton’s neighborhood centers manager, Tina Banks-Gray. “To see something in the architectural phase actually manifest into something you can feel, see and touch — it’s amazing .”
The facility replaced an old community center that was closed in 2015 and demolished because it was beyond repair. Hampton broke ground on the new center in February 2021 and opened it on Sept. 17. The center was initially slated to open in July but was delayed due to materials shortages and shipping delays. The construction for the center cost approximately $4.2 million.
Donna Little, president of the Olde Hampton Neighborhood Association, said there were no words to describe how she felt about the center becoming a reality.
“I’ve been through the dictionary, and I can’t find anything,” she said with a laugh. “Can I just make up a word?”
Little was a longtime advocate for the project and contributed many ideas to the center, according to Banks-Gray. The neighborhood association and a local steelworkers’ union heavily pushed for naming the building after Jackson, as she was a resident and active member of the Olde Hampton community. She taught, tutored and mentored students. She also opened her home to Hampton University students in need of a friendly place and was a Girl Scout Troop leader.
During a grand opening ceremony for the center, union president Charles Spivey called Jackson a community role model.
“Mary Jackson answered the call of service over, and over, and over,” said Spivey. “She even took a demotion – voluntarily – later in her career to take a position that would allow her to open the door for other women to enter the predominantly white male engineering field at NASA. "
Hundreds of people attended the ceremony, including many of Jackson’s family members. The union, United Steelworkers Local 8888, donated $10,000 to Hampton for outreach and programming at the neighborhood center.
Union spokesperson Dwight Kirk said “There’s nothing better than to know that something that we contributed to will impact people far, far into the future.”
An advisory committee comprised of neighborhood stakeholders and city staffers oversees the operations of the neighborhood center.
Banks-Gray said the fitness center membership is $15 a month, but other amenities such as the basketball court are free. There are also hourly fees for renting the meeting rooms and multipurpose room, she said.
Work on second phase of the project will start in the fall, and involve the development of a playground and cookout area, Banks-Gray said.
Josh Janney, joshua.janney@virginiamedia.com
