Memphis’ oldest standing community center is getting a $3.4 million facelift. 

Gaston Community Center, located in South Memphis, will undergo renovations to include the reintroduction of natural lighting through new windows and the creation of dedicated meeting spaces. 

“It will be restored, I think, to its original beauty, which will match the beauty of the children and adults who use it,” Mayor Jim Strickland said Monday morning at a ceremony commemorating the center’s renovation. 

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“Our goal is for the close-knit culture of the South Memphis community to be reflected in the type of programming and activities that take place here,” said Nick Walker, director of Memphis Parks. He added that the center already hosts programming, but that the investment in its appearance and functionality will complement that programming. 

Knowledge Quest, a community nonprofit, hosts after-school programs for neighborhood children, and gives them hands-on experiences in STEM, literacy and the arts. The group, founded in 1998, has invested in the community center throughout the years, providing $125,000 in furnishing and technology, and about $500,000 annually in programming. 

“You probably won’t find a neighborhood that defines their identity more so connected to a building than Gaston Community Center. It’s a small neighborhood around it, and this building is really just a heartbeat of the residents around here,” said Marlon Foster, executive director of Knowledge Quest.

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Foster said the renovations will also impact the children the community center serves by communicating that their space, and the children themselves, are valued in the community.

The city’s investment comes as part of a public-private partnership through the mayor’s Accelerate Memphis initiative. As part of Memphis 3.0, it is a program in which the city will issue $200 million in bonds dedicated to community projects. Of that $200 million, $75 million will be allocated to improving parks. 

“Accelerate Memphis, in large part, is to revitalize the city assets in neighborhoods who haven’t seen much investment in hopes to spur other investment. Because if we look only to the city government to revitalize areas, we don’t have enough money to do that,” Strickland said. 

The hope of the Gaston renovation, along with others in the Accelerate Memphis plan, is to spark private investment.

Gaston is the city’s oldest community center, having opened in 1935. It is named for French philanthropist John Gaston, who migrated to the United States and later to Memphis in the 1860s. Upon his wife’s death, Gaston left his mansion, which was demolished and turned into the park and community center. 

Now, it is closing for about 10 months of construction, according to Alan Barner, president of MFA, the firm managing the project. The goal is to have the center back open by summer 2023. The first steps will include demolition inside the building and ordering new windows. The renovations will also include fixing water leaks, roof work, and restoring the stone on the exterior of the building.