City Alexandria Community Recreation Centers

	Neighborhood Centers • Charles Barrett Recreation Center • Charles Houston Recreation Center • Cora Kelly Recreation Center • Mount Vernon Recreation Center • Nannie J. Lee Memorial Recreation Center • Patrick Henry Recreation Center • William Ramsay Recreation Center		Speciality Centers • Chinquapin Park Recreation Center • Durant Arts Center • Jerome "Buddie" Ford Nature Center • Lee Center (Administrative Offices)

• Recreation Center ID Policy
  All participants/users of the City of Alexandria neighborhood recreation centers must be residents of the City, and are required to show proof of residency to register at the neighborhood recreation centers. To determine if you are a City resident, refer to the City Residency Verification Guide.
• Recreation Center Rentals
  Recreation centers are available for use by community groups and organizations. Amenities include meeting rooms, gymnasium, dance studio, and activity rooms.   Groups will be charged appropriate staff and rental fees based on their individual request. Rental information and availability may be obtained at each individual center. For additional information and hours of operation, call the recreation center of interest.  Click here to view the Department Fee Schedule.
• Attention Parents
  Please be advised that unless otherwise specified, the programs offered at the recreation centers are not licensed child care programs nor are they to be alternatives for child care.
• Summer Hours
  After the completion of the Alexandria Public School year, center hours may change. Please contact the center in your Neighborhood for a summer operating hours.
• Special Activities are held regularly at each center. For additional information call the Center.
• For additional information on Recreation Services, click here.
• For additional information on Recreation Programs, click here.
• Recreation Center Holiday Operating Schedule 
• FY 2010 Service Reductions

Charles Barrett Recreation Center

1115 Martha Custis Dr.
Alexandria, VA 22305
703.746.5551 | 703.706.3963 (TTY)
Director: Vacant
Charles Barrett Rec Center Advisory Council

Facility Features:

Center Hours:

• Monday - Friday: 2  - 9 pm (Sep-Jun)
• Monday - Friday: 9 am - 6 pm (Jul-Aug)
• Saturday & Sunday: Closed
• Holiday Hours 

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Charles Houston Recreation Center

901 Wythe St.
Alexandria, VA 22314
703.746.5552

Director: Sheila Whiting

Facility Features:

• Monday - Friday: 9 am - 9 pm

  • Early Morning Fitness Pass: 6-9 am Monday - Friday (Fee Pass Required)

  • Jazzercise Classes: Tuesday and/or Thursday at 6 am. 

    • Walk-in fee: $15
    • Monthly fee (Easy Fitness Ticket): $45
    • Note: Finess Pass Fee is not charged in addition to the Jazzercise fee
• Extended Activities
  • Adult: 9-11 pm (Friday)
  • Teen Only: 6-11 pm (Saturday)
• Saturday: 9 am-6 pm
• Sunday: 1 - 5 pm
• Holiday Hours 

Charles Houston Recreation Center Room Naming Project

• A group of Alexandrians, most of who are former students of the Parker-Gray School and other Alexandria schools attended by African American students before integration, formed an ad hoc room naming committee last spring. Their goal was to explore naming rooms at the new Charles Houston Recreation Center in honor of notable African American citizens whom they considered have had an important influence on Alexandria’s past and present. The Center is located on the site of the old Parker-Gray School, and the committee felt that the site is a historic one that is appropriate as a location to recognize outstanding individuals who contributed to the betterment of the African American community.
• The City of Alexandria held a dedication ceremony on Saturday, February 27 at the Charles Houston Recreation Center naming the Center's gymnasium after Coach Louis Johnson and Mr. Morris Siebert, two individuals who made outstanding contributions to the youth of Alexandria. In addition, the swimming pool was named the Memorial Pool in honor of African American youth who drowned in the Potomac River recognizing that before integration African American youths were not permitted to swim in the Alexandria Municipal Pool.
• The Charles Houston Recreation Center Ad Hoc Naming Committee is seeking nominations from the public for the Recreation’s Center’s Hall of Fame, an area that will honor and memorialize the achievements of history makers in Alexandria’s African American community and document the contributions of the community to Alexandria’s history.

For additional information on the naming project, click here.

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Cora Kelly Recreation Center

25 West Reed Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22305
703.746.5554

Director: Lyndon Murray

Facility Features:

Center Hours:

• Monday - Friday: 9 am - 9 pm
  • Teen Extended Activities: 9-11 pm (F)
• Saturday: 9 am - 6 pm
  • Extended Activities - Teens Only: 6-11 pm
• Sunday: 1 - 5 pm
• Holiday Hours 
• Cora Kelly Recreation Center Advisory Council

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Durant Arts Center
Where Music, Dance & Theater Come Alive!

1605 Cameron St.
Alexandria, VA 22314
703.746.5560
durantcenter@alexandriava.gov

Director: Cheryl Anne Colton

Facility Features:

Center Hours:

• Monday - Thursday: 9 am - 10 pm
• Friday: 9 am - 5 pm
• Saturday & Sunday: Available for private rentals
• Closed on City holidays

Rentals:

• Fee Schedule 

The Dr. Oswald Durant Memorial Center is the Department’s multicultural center for the performing and visual arts. It offers programs in music, dance, theatre, and visual arts for people of all ages and cultural backgrounds. The Durant Center is located in the Upper King Street neighborhood of Old Town and provides spaces for rehearsals, performances, special events, meetings, and arts focused classes. For program and facility use information, call the Durant Center at 703.746.5560.

The Durant Center is the home of the Alexandria Commission for the Arts. The Commission’s mission is to lead and advocate for cultural development within the City and the surrounding region. The Commission fulfills this mission by collaborating with the local community; marketing the City’s arts events and organizations; building education partnerships in the community; and administering an annual grants program. For information on the City's Office of the Arts, visit alexandriava.gov/arts.

The Commission meets the third Tuesday of each month at the Dr. Oswald Durant Memorial Center at 7 pm. The public is welcome. For membership information, click here.

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Lee Center  

1108 Jefferson St.
Alexandria, VA 22314
703.746.5405

The Lee Center serves as the administrative offices for the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities. Space is availabe for rentals including meetings, receptions, banquets, celebrations and awards programs.  Auditorium ame­nities include sound system, stage lighting, piano, podium and microphone.

Facility Features:

Center Hours:

• Monday - Friday: 8 am-10 pm
• Saturday & Sunday: Available for private rentals
• Closed on City holidays

Rentals:

• Fee Schedule 

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Mount Vernon Recreation Center

2701 Commonwealth Ave.
Alexandria, VA 22305
703.746.5556 | 703.706.3954 (TTY)

Director: Elsie Akinbobola

Facility Features:

Center Hours: 

• Monday - Friday: 9 am - 9 pm
  • Seniors: 10 am - 3:30 pm
• Saturday: 9 am - 6 pm
• Sunday: Closed
• Holiday Hours 

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Nannie J. Lee Memorial Recreation Center

1108 Jefferson Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
703.746.5550 | 703.706.3994 (TTY)

Director: Barbara Farrington

Facility Features:

Center Hours:

• Monday - Friday: 9 am - 9 pm
• Saturday: 9 am - 6 pm (Oct-Mar)
• Sunday: Closed
• Holiday Hours 

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Patrick Henry Recreation Center

4643 Taney Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22304
703.746.5557 | 703.519.3397 (Fax)

Director: Bryan Williams

Facility Features:

Center Hours:

• Monday - Friday: 2:30 - 9 pm (Sep-Jun)
• Monday - Friday: 9 am - 9 pm (Jul-Aug)
• Saturday & Sunday: Closed
• Holiday Hours 

Proposed Center Renovation:

• Community Meeting on Thursday, July 17 About Proposed Renovation of the Patrick Henry Recreation Center (released July 7, 2008)
  The Park and Recreation Commission will hold a community meeting on Thursday, July 17 to discuss plans and ideas for the proposed renovation of the Patrick Henry Recreation Center. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Patrick Henry Recreation Center, 4643 Taney Ave.
  • July 17, 2008 Community Presentation 
  • July 17, 2008 Community Meeting Notes 
  • July 17, 2008 Comment Form
• Park and Recreation Commission to Hold Public Hearing on Proposed Renovation of Patrick Henry Recreation Center (released August 21, 2008)
  The Park and Recreation Commission will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, September 10, to discuss plans and ideas for the proposed renovation of the Patrick Henry Recreation Center. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Patrick Henry Recreation Center, 4643 Taney Ave.
  • September 10, 2008 Public Hearing Presentation 
• Public Hearing on Proposed Renovation of Patrick Henry Recreation Center (released October 10, 2008)
  The City of Alexandria’s Park and Recreation Commission will hold a public hearing on Thursday, October 16, to discuss plans and ideas for the proposed renovation of the Patrick Henry Recreation Center. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Patrick Henry Recreation Center, 4643 Taney Ave. A regular meeting of the Park and Recreation Commission will follow the public hearing.
  • October 16, 2008 Public Hearing Presentation 

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William Ramsay Recreation Center

5650 Sanger Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22311
703.746.5558

Director: Harold Little

Facility Features:

Center Hours:

• Monday - Friday: 9 am - 9 pm
  • Teen Extended Activities: 9-11 pm (F)
• Saturday: 9 am - 6 pm
  • Extended Activities - Teens Only: 6-11 pm
• Sunday: 1 - 5 pm
• Holiday Hours 

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Recreation Center Fitness Passes

Multiple pass options for the use of the fitness rooms at the following Neighborhood Recreation Centers: Charles Houston, Cora Kelly, Nannie J. Lee, and William Ramsay

Early Morning Fitness at the Charles Houston Recreation Center

Start your day at the Charles Houston Recreation Center with a brisk workout in the center’s fitness room and gym. The Houston Center opens at 6 am Monday through Friday. The above passes replace the admission fees for the early morning hours at the Charles Houston Recreation Center.