The Park Slope Armory, which today celebrated its $16 million transformation into a state-of-the-art recreation center, opened in 1895 and has two distinct sections: a drill floor, which is 50,000-60,000 square feet and a garrison, which once housed offices.
Since the 1980’s the garrison has been used as a 70-bed dorm for homeless women, which is managed at this time by the Church Avenue Merchants Block Association.
The drill floor is what they just renovated. It offers a variety of activities, including adult fitness, a teen center, an after school program and a day camp as well as other programs for youth and family.
The 1/8 of a mile indoor track is gorgeous and the space can also accommodate basketball, volleyball, tennis, gymnastic, badminton, boxing, fencing, judo, table tennis, tae kwon do, handball, weightlifting, wrestling and aerobics.
The YMCA, pending approval by the city, has been tapped to run the facility. They plan to operate the recreation center seven days a week from 7 am – 11 p.m.
That’s a whole lot of recreation.
wow! I like on 15th street and I have mixed feelings. On one hand it is very exciting to have all these options available. I am very athletic and this is great news for the community. On the other hand, as a resident, I am very concern with these hours of operations and how it will affect the residents. With that said I have lived in the area for 14 years and I think the YMCA does a great job managing their other facilities with respect for the residents and the communities so I think they will do a good job.