The Downtown Recreation Center Charlottesville, Virginia The renovation of the Downtown Recreation Center was the first project identified in the City of Charlottesville's master plan to expand the East edge of the Downtown Mall. The existing building is a turn-of-the-century armory was converted in the 1980's to a public recreation center primarily consisting of a basketball court and a few small meeting rooms. This renovation envisioned an expanded role of the Recreation Center. In addition to modernization of the main gymnasium, facilities were planned to house exercise classes, jazz and ballet classes, yoga, and health instruction. The complete renovation of the interior included the conversion of the original utility basement into classrooms, support facilities, and administrative offices. A complete replacement of the origianl mechancial systems allows the Center to operate more economically for the City. The exterior of the building was renovated in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Historic Buildings. This included replacement of the monumental window system with fully insulated energy efficient windows. Exterior planning included public facilities for Fridays after Five celebrations and a landscaped terrace.  download project as .pdf