PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Fairmount Park’s Carousel House, the city’s only fully accessible recreation center, is getting a much-needed makeover.
The Carousel House served people with disabilities from 1987 to 2021. It was the first municipality-established facility of its kind in the nation, according to the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department, serving thousands of people and hosting many wheelchair basketball tournaments.
The facility closed during the COVID-19 pandemic because the city said the building was unsafe. Fortunately, a new rec center will take its place, led by the city’s Rebuild project.
The city on Tuesday revealed new plans for the redesign, which would more than double the space of the existing site. New gym and pool areas would be added on to the existing space. The proposal also adds new locker rooms and rehabs the the existing building.
The center of the current building houses the basketball court, but the city plans to rebuild it into an open-space multi-purpose room. The basketball court would be moved to the new gym facility, with two practice courts.
The swimming section features a lap pool and an activity pool, and the locker rooms include gender-neutral facilities and accessible shower stalls, benches and changing areas.
Other elements include: a fitness area with adaptive workout equipment, a ceramics room, a sensory room and a computer lab with height-adjustable desks.