Richmond's $20M East End center to open with rooftop basketball
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Lucks Field will open to the public in September. Photo: Courtesy of RVA Parks and Rec's Insta reel
Lucks Field — the city's massive, new $20 million East End community center — is weeks away from opening.
Why it matters: The center, located on U Street near two of Richmond's largest housing projects, will offer an improved third space with a rooftop basketball court, indoor gym and study rooms.
Zoom in: The three-story center also packs in indoor basketball courts, lounges, a multimedia library, a teaching kitchen and a rooftop garden.
- Outside, locals will find more courts, a shaded playground, fitness equipment, a picnic shelter and Fairmount pool right across the street.
- Plus, Lucks Field will double as an emergency response shelter and community health center when needed.
Zoom out: Lucks Field is the third community center the city has built using roughly $60 million in COVID-era American Rescue Plan Act funds.
- The Southside Community Center on Old Warwick Road opened in the spring with its own new playground, courts and study centers, a boxing gym, and dance and recording studios.
- T.B. Smith center, also in South Richmond, opened earlier this month with more playground equipment, a splash pad and a computer lab.
What they're saying: "We're going to start seeing Chesterfield folks in here," former mayor Levar Stoney told The Richmonder about the centers last year.
What's next: Lucks Field opens Sept. 12.
- A glow-up for Calhoun Community Center in the East End is also in the works, a city parks spokesperson tells Axios.