The NYCHA Journal

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Communities Repair & Rebuild Top Story 

Unity Plaza Welcomes Newly Upgraded Community Center 

Vincent Echavaria

On September 12, Unity Plaza Houses in Brooklyn celebrated a newly refurbished community center, featuring upgraded multipurpose and dance rooms, a new music recording studio, and accessibility improvements, among other renovations. 

Residents were joined by NYCHA representatives and local elected officials, including City Councilmember Charles Barron, former Councilmember Inez Barron, State Senator Roxanne Persaud, and Assemblymember Nikki Lucas, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to welcome the fully remodeled building at Unity Plaza, home to more than 1,000 residents. The $5.2 million project received federal and City funding, including $1.6 million from the offices of Charles and Inez Barron. 

According to Charles Barron’s office, the state-of-the-art project was intended to provide local residents with quality facilities with the latest equipment.  

Unity Plaza Resident Association President Cynthia Whitaker said the renovated community center was a “long time in the making” and its new amenities will allow youth to stay active after school.  

“It’s beautiful and I feel like having a big extravaganza,” Ms. Whitaker, a resident since 1976, said of the center reopening to the public. “I think it can be a safe haven for the children.”  

The center’s multipurpose room features new flooring and dividing walls.
Community members and elected officials celebrate the center’s reopening with a ribbon cutting. (courtesy of Councilmember Barron’s office)
New hardwood floors and tempered glass mirrors were added to the dance studio.
Building improvements included enhanced lighting.

The community center now features an upgraded multipurpose room with a basketball court, stage, and new dividing walls; a renovated dance studio with new hardwood floors and tempered glass mirrors; a new music recording studio; a new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning unit; façade improvements; and a new insulated roof. Other improvements include enhanced lighting and renovated bathrooms, as well as an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-accessible restroom and accessibility upgrades for persons with hearing impairment.  

Ms. Whitaker said she is excited for her fellow community members to take advantage of the welcomed amenities. Throughout the year, the center regularly hosts community programs; neighborhood events such as Family Days; celebrations like birthdays, weddings, and anniversary parties; as well as resident association meetings.