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The Community Invited to Participate in the Grand Reopening Celebration on Saturday, January 8

During the day, participants will take staff-guided site tours of the newly renovated facility, plant a new community garden, engage in community conversations with the local mural artist Wade Williams, enjoy light refreshments, and more! 

Participants are required to wear face coverings inside City facilities for their protection and the protection of others. Masks are encouraged outdoors when social distance cannot be maintained.

The approximately $980,000 project to revitalize and enhance W.D. Hill was made possible by the City of Durham’s Capital Improvement Project (CIP) fund and is a part of DPR’s efforts to ensure that the community has access to a viable, safe, and attractive facility.  

The specifics of the project include: 

• New Roof
• New mechanical HVAC unit
• New landscape around the entry to the building
• Decorative screening on the exterior windows.  
• Exterior painting and more energy efficient windows.
• Improved reception area and entrance to the facility.
• Renovated gym space and interior painting of the facility. 
• New mural by Durham artist Wade Williams to enhance the building and reference the important history of the area. (To read more about the mural at W.D. Hill click here.)

Enhancements also include improving sightlines by removing invasive vines and clearing unwanted vegetation, planting native trees, adding native planting beds to the rear entrance of the building, painting the picnic shelter by the tennis courts, re-painting the parking lot lines, and screening and painting the HVAC units. 

“W.D. Hill is one of the City of Durham’s most treasured resources rich in history because of the Algonquin Club, an African American tennis club in the state that provided a platform for tennis play, political meetings, and social gatherings in 1922, said DPR Director Wade Walcutt. “For nearly 100 years, our team remains committed to building better lives and a better community by connecting our whole community to wellness, the outdoors, and lifelong learning. Come join us!” 

For more information, visit DPRPlayMore.org or call 919-560-4355.

About Durham Parks and Recreation

Durham Parks and Recreation provides opportunities for the Durham community to Play More by connecting our whole community to wellness, the outdoors, and lifelong learning. To learn more about Durham Parks and Recreation, visit us online, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or call (919) 560-4355.