Marvin gaye recreation center dc

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Marvin Gaye Recreation Center was selected as the first Resilience Hub case study in Washington DC by the Urban Sustainability Directors Network.

AWARDS, PRESENTATIONS, + PUBLICATIONS

  • Venice Biennale - Time Space Existence Exhibit, European Cultural Center, Venice, IT 2021

  • “Climate Change and Resilient Cities”, Shaping the City forum, Venice, IT, 2021

  • Urban Land Institute Fall Meeting - This Building Breathes: Tales of a Resilient City, 2021

  • Design Awards Honorable Mention, AIA Virginia, 2020

  • Award of Merit in Institutional Architecture, AIA Northern Virginia, 2020

  • Award for Excellence in Design, Honorable Mention, AIA Baltimore, 2020

  • Merit Award, Marvin Gaye Recreation Center, American Institute of Steel Construction, IDEAS² Awards 2020

  • Third Award | Cultural (Built), Marvin Gaye Recreation Center, Rethinking The Future Awards 2020

  • Architect’s Newspaper, Editor’s Pick for Best Design Award for Green Building, 2019

  • Architizer A+ Awards, Concepts-Plus-Architecture + Climate Change, Marvin Gaye Recreation Center, 2019

  • Sustainable Design Award, Marvin Gaye Recreation Center, AIA|DC, 2019

  • Presidential Citation for Sustainable Design, Marvin Gaye Recreation Center, AIA|DC, 2018

  • Virginia Tech College of Architecture, WAAC: “Marvin Gaye Rec + Architecture of Resilience”, 2019

  • DesignDC: Charged Up, “This Building Breathes – Tales of a Resilient City”, 2019

  • Cities Alive: “Green Infrastructure - Designing the Future of Resilience”, 2018

  • AIA DesignDC: “Marvin Gaye Recreation Center: Case study in Resilient Design” (2017)

  • ArchitectureDC: Marvin Gaye Recreation Center, Fall 2019

  • ABC 7 News – WJLA: Marvin Gaye Recreation Center (2018)

  • WTOP: Marvin Gaye Recreation Center (2018)

  • ArchitectureDC: Marvin Gaye Recreation Center, Winter 2018

Marvin Gaye Recreation Center

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General Information

  
Address:15 61st Street, NE
Ward:7
Nearest Metro:Capitol Heights (Blue)
Parking:Street parking available
Hours of Operation:Monday - Friday: 12 - 8 pm
Closed on Saturday and Sunday
Contact:

Direct: (202) 899-6004

Email: Customer Service

Amenities

  • Indoors
  • Outdoors
    • Baseball Field - 90' Diamond
    • Basketball Court
    • Parksite
    • Playground

Services and Programs

Please note, a valid, government-issued photo ID (driver's/non-driver's license or passport) is required to enter all DPR facilities.

Fresh air, daylighting, and energy efficiency are just some of the sustainable features that make this LEED Gold facility a resilient hub in Northeast Washington DC.

On hand to celebrate the ribbon cutting were Gaye’s brother Antwaun Gay, Ward 7 Council Member Vincent Gray, DC Department of Parks + Recreations (DPR) Director Keith Anderson, and DC Department of General Services (DGS) Director Greer Gillis.

The center accommodates community gatherings and fitness + wellness programs that build resilience within communities—in service to the DC Department of Parks + Recreation mission to promote health, conservation, and universal access to parks.

Marvin Gaye Trail

The Marvin Gaye Trail offers a paved pathway through the Deanwood, Burville, Lincoln Heights, and Hillbrook neighborhoods of Washington, DC.

Just shy of 2 miles, it runs from Minnesota Avenue NE, near the Minnesota Avenue Metro Station, to 61st Street NE, near the Maryland border and the Capitol Heights Metro Station.

For its entire distance, the trail loosely parallels the Watts Branch stream through a tree-lined corridor and traverses Marvin Gaye Park (formally known as Watts Branch Park).

It’s all part of a built environment that contributes to the health and well-being of the community.

The building is designed to be resilient in the face of emergencies, withstanding stressors like floods and power outages. Fresh air and daylighting are just some of the biophilic design features that make this a LEED Gold facility and a resilient hub in Northeast Washington DC.

You feel it as soon as you enter the front door—this building breathes.

Two elementary schools and a high school are just blocks from the trail, so it offers students a safe way to access recreational opportunities. When conditions are right, the building enters natural ventilation mode.

marvin gaye recreation center dc

Named for its neighborhood native son, the Marvin Gaye Recreation Center is the city’s first center with integrated natural ventilation. See the website for the Metro subway system for more information.

Mayor Opens DC’s First Resilient Recreation Center / by istudio

Mayor Muriel Bowser toured the new recreation center with ISTUDIO Project Architect Marisa Brown, Project Manager Dan Snook, and Principal Rick Harlan Schneider.

Shops and restaurants also buffer the trail.

Marvin Gaye, the famed musician for whom the trail is named, was born and raised in Washington, DC. At the trail's east end is the Marvin Gaye Recreation Center (6201 Bank Place NE), which includes a playground with play structures shaped like a piano and musical notes.

Parking and Trail Access

Trail users can access the west end of the trail from the Minnesota Avenue Station on Metro's Orange Line, and the Capitol Heights Station on the Bile and Silver Lines near the trail's east end.

The system is designed to take advantage of the mild temperatures during the fall and spring in Washington DC. Daylighting strategies define the architecture and create a vibrant interior environment.  They provide dynamic + diffused light, a visual connection to nature, and promote a connection with the cycle of the day + the changing of the seasons.

Works by local artists on glass are incorporated into the interior architecture in transparent layers of biomorphic forms.

The recreation center and trail serve DPR’s mission to promote health, conservation, and universal access to parks.

Many thanks to the team at DC DGS and DPR, the design-build contractor MCN Build, and the communities of Ward 7!

Mayor Muriel Bowser: “We are honored to celebrate and honor a DC native who brought so much joy to our world with a fantastic recreation center that will continue bringing joy to our community.”

WJLA: Ribbon-cutting ceremony held for new D.C.

recreation center named after Marvin Gaye

WTOP: New DC rec center named after local Motown legend Marvin Gaye

Mayor Muriel Bowser: "Today, we cut the ribbon on the new Marvin Gaye Recreation Center in Ward 7, honoring his legacy, and of course, his love for music."

CM Vince Gray: "I'm sure Marvin Gaye would’ve love this majestic center we opened in #Ward7 today, just blocks away from where he grew-up!"

DC DGS: "TODAY: @WeElevateDC joined @MayorBowser , CM @VinceGrayWard7, @DCDPR and the Ward 7 community at the Marvin Gaye Recreation Center Ribbon Cutting."

DC DPR: "#MarvinGayeDay we are getting it on!"

MARVIN GAYE RECREATION CENTER 

Named for its neighborhood native son, the Marvin Gaye Recreation Center is the city’s first center with integrated natural ventilation.