A true community stalwart, the Douglas Center has been at the heart of the Urbana-Champaign African-American community for 70 years.
Conceived in the era of segregation, planning for the Douglass Community Center began in 1940 because the African-American community’s needs were not being meet with the separate and inadequate facilities available. In particular during the 1940s the community needed a recreational space for the G.I.s stationed at Chanute Field.
Spearheaded by the Douglass Community Service Committee and with the help of public funds and private donations the Douglass Community Center was dedicated September 23, 1945.
The contract for the Douglass Center was signed on February 12, 1944 at the cost of $35,000. The groundbreaking occurred with great fanfare on February 18, 1944 attracting 130 community members to the ceremony.
The Douglass Community Center received $2,500 from the Home and War Chest Organization. Pictured above is a returnable post card sent to all Home and War Chest subscribers asking for their contribution.
By the mid-1960s it became evident that a larger and more modern facility was needed. In 1972, the Champaign Park District won voter approval on a tax referendum and the Douglass Community Center was given first priority and scheduled to be rebuilt. Pictured above is the new and expanded Douglass Center which was opened December 16, 1976.
For more information on the Douglass Community Center you can visit the Champaign County Historical Archives or consult these online resources.
- The history of Douglas Center: From request to reality by Bud Johnson
- Through the Years: Black History in Champaign County Newsletter, Spring 1995 and Winter 1995 [available online from The Museum of the Grand Prairie]
- Sherrie B., Archives Librarian