The city of Aurora is celebrating the new year with the opening of Southeast Recreation Center and Fieldhouse, a first-of-its-kind facility in Aurora, Colorado. Southeast Recreation Center and Fieldhouse, 25400 E. Alexander Drive, will open to the public Tuesday, Jan. 17 and is the second new recreation center to open in Aurora in four years.
Designed by the architectural firm Populous, following an extensive public input process, the $41.9 million, 77,000-square-foot center reflects the needs and wants of the community in the southeast section of the city. Located near several neighborhoods and the Aurora Reservoir, the center is a regional destination boasting the first indoor fieldhouse within the city in addition to a variety of other amenities and breathtaking views of the Colorado mountains.
“We are excited to open our newest recreation center and fieldhouse,” said Brooke Bell, director of Parks, Recreation and Open Space. “After an extensive community engagement process, the feedback received guided the creation of this exceptional facility; we look forward to the community enjoying the space they helped envision for years to come.”
The 23,000-square-foot fieldhouse provides athletes of all ages and sports the chance to play year-round in a temperature-controlled indoor environment. The full-sized field features professional grade turf and will be home to the city’s first adult indoor soccer league as well as used for youth and adult lacrosse, flag football and fitness courses. The fieldhouse can also be rented by community organizations and individuals.
Another first-of-its-kind offering is a 1/9-mile track with grade changes elevated above the fitness area and gymnasium, creating a unique walking and running environment for guests. The 8,000-square-foot multiuse gymnasium can accommodate one main basketball court, two cross basketball courts, two volleyball courts or three pickleball courts. The facility also features a 7,600-square-foot fitness area with state-of-the-art equipment, a functional fitness area, an outdoor fitness space, a fitness studio, a large community room, party rooms, a child watch area and a natatorium.
The natatorium features a 125,000-gallon swimming pool with a maximum depth of seven feet and a spa pool with water jets. The leisure pool includes a 25-yard, four-lane lap pool, two basketball hoops, a lazy river, a 20-foot-tall waterslide and various water features. The leisure pool also has a zero-foot-depth entry point that includes water geysers, a water table play feature and a children’s play structure with a slide.
Southeast Recreation Center and Fieldhouse is the latest development in an area of the city that is growing more each year. The public art installation, “Florescence” by Adam Buente of Project One Studio, embraces this idea and others that are integrated into the design of the center. The growing and changing landscape, the diversity of the community and its simultaneous connectivity inspired both the design of the art and the center as a whole. Growing from floor to ceiling in the main “canyon” of the center, colorful yet cohesive pieces fill the center from the main entrance in the lobby through the fitness area to the elevated track, creating a “state of flourishing” – or “Florescence.” There will be a dedication of this public art during the grand opening Jan. 24.
Southeast Recreation Center and Fieldhouse will open to the public at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17. The city of Aurora will host a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24, with a public grand opening celebration to follow from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Media tours will be available between 8 and 10 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20. Contact Sara Van Holbeck at [email protected] to arrange for a media tour.
For information on the design of Southeast Recreation Center and Fieldhouse or Populous’ approach to community recreation center design, contact Claire Kramer at [email protected].
The new center is one of five recreation centers in Aurora. To learn more about the city’s other recreation offerings, visit AuroraGov.org/Recreation. For more information about Southeast Recreation Center and Fieldhouse, including memberships, pricing, classes and more, visit AuroraGov.org/Southeast.