The new Jesse White Community Center broke ground on June 1 in Chicago’s Near North Side neighborhood. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel attended the groundbreaking ceremony, joining Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White in offering remarks about the community center, a joint project between the Jesse White Foundation, City of Chicago and Chicago Park District.
The community center, to be located on West Chicago Avenue, will feature a full-court gymnasium, gymnastic center, fitness and club rooms, locker rooms, computer labs and a community meeting area. The center will also be home to the Jesse White Tumbling Team, a juvenile delinquency prevention program founded by Mr. White in 1959 to provide a recreational, athletic and educational outlet to Chicago youth from low-income neighborhoods. Members of the Jesse White Tumblers performed at the groundbreaking ceremony.
Ghafari is providing both design and construction management services for the community center. Ghafari’s Director of Design, Joseph Gonzalez, spoke on behalf of the firm at the groundbreaking ceremony, describing the design concept of the community center to attendees.
