Central neighborhood’s Lonnie Burten Recreation Center getting first update in decades

The essential community facility is getting a facelift and additional updates could be in store in coming years. Learn more about what’s happening, the importance and history of the center, and why it’s so important for Central residents.

The Lonnie Burten Recreation Center is currently undergoing a $2.5 million update, its first major renovation since the 1980s. 

The center is where my children learned to swim and to play football. It’s an essential part of the Central neighborhood. It’s a resource that brings residents together and gives them a safe space to meet, to play, and to learn more about themselves. 

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Updating the facility ensures it will remain a community hub and gathering place for new generations of residents. 

The renovations

Crews have either updated or are currently updating the front of the building, the indoor swimming pool and other features of the facade. City officials described this portion of the project, hopefully, as “phase one” of the work. 

“We’re completing the exterior renovation of the facility – the windows, masonry, the doors, the front entrance, sloped walkways for accessibility. We wanted to do the envelope,” said Mark Duluk, manager of the Division of Architecture and Site Development in the Mayor’s Office of Capital Projects. 

Both city officials and Lonnie Burten management wanted to preserve the character of the building, which Duluk described as “art deco.” 

“It’s the only art-deco building that we have in our recreation stock. It’s a unique facility,” he said. “We really like the design and we’ve worked hard to maintain the look and character of the building. It has a real presence there on the street and in the neighborhood.”

The interior reconfiguration will also maintain the character of the facility, Duluk said, adding that the city intended to complete the updates with respect to the building’s importance to the neighborhood. 

“The other thing that’s exciting is we’re going to have a practice boxing ring in the basement, that will also be accessible [to anyone]. There will be a dedicated boxing facility. We’re going to give it its own home. Boxing has always been part of the culture of the center and it continues to this day with dedicated coaching and staff,” he noted. 

The city previously updated the Recreation Center’s roof and the Cleveland Cavaliers helped update the facility’s basketball court. Officials are working with property management at the site to determine the condition of pipes running to the outdoor pool and evaluate the extent of work needed to make the outdoor pool operational. 

If the city allocates additional funding for Phase Two of the Lonnie Burten Recreation update, the additional updates would include a full interior renovation, new mechanical and electrical systems and a reconfiguration of the building to include “more and better” recreation programming, Duluk told The Land. 

Why Lonnie Burten Recreation Center matters

Many people still refer to Lonnie Burten Recreation Center as POC, short for the Portland-Outhwaite Center. That was the name of the building when it opened in 1932, according to research from the Western Reserve Historical Society (WRHS). 

“A lot of kids still call it POC because of their parents,” said Mike Powers, manager of the Lonnie Burten Recreation Center. “When I was a young man, it was POC.” 

The building is now named for former Cleveland City Councilperson Lonnie Burten. He was a dedicated community activist who advocated for “decent housing” in the Central neighborhood, according to Case Western Reserve University’s Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Burten died when he was only 40, while working on his home. 

For nearly 100 years, Lonnie Burten Recreation Center (or POC) has been a home away from home for kids in the Central neighborhood. 

“Kids come here. They grow up here. Then they stop coming. Then their kids come here,” Powers said. “It’s a neighborhood staple.” 

For the first time in years, the recreation center’s indoor pool now has water in it. It’ll be open this summer for kids, Powers said hopefully. It’s another resource Powers wants to provide for Central. 

Powers said he tries to eliminate any negativity or feuding that kids bring in with them. Inside the walls of Lonnie Burten Recreation Center, there are no gangs or criminal activities. There’s a sense of sacred belonging because the facility is off-limits for anything but community building and positive activities. 

“I hope we provide a calming influence. Most of what we’re doing is the same as it always was. We play basketball, we participate in sports. We feed kids, we mentor kids. We try to provide them with a safe environment. That will never change,” Powers said. “When you come in here, we’re all on the same team.” 

A personal impact

My hope is that the changes outlined above make room for more programming for kids and adults. I’d specifically like to see more activities around computers. The plan to add an elevator and make the building more accessible is also exciting. 

My son grew up at the Lonnie Burten Recreation Center. Powers coached football from 2000 to 2016. My son came through his program, though Powers didn’t coach him directly. My son wanted to play professional football, so he trained at Lonnie Burten. Then, my son wanted to be a fireman, so he learned to swim at Lonnie Burten. Like so many other kids, the recreation center was his home away from home.