Hard hats and heavy equipment have officially taken over the Fort Davis Community Center site in Ward 7, with fresh images from city agencies showing early framing, staging and fencing around the old recreation footprint. The Bowser administration's $27.5 million plan calls for tearing down the current building and replacing it with a roughly double-sized facility meant to handle sports, classes and community programming. For nearby residents, that translates to a larger gym and significantly more indoor space than the long-serving center has provided.
Photos Show Early Work
The DC Department of General Services shared photos of the site on April 19 that show crews mobilizing and fresh construction fencing around the lot, according to a Facebook post by the DC Department of General Services. The images offer the clearest public confirmation so far that the Fort Davis project has moved out of the planning and permitting phase and into on-the-ground work.
Project Scope And Price
The plan calls for a 28,960-square-foot community center, roughly twice the size of the existing building, with a budget of about $27.5 million, according to the DC Department of General Services. The agency describes the effort as both a ground-up replacement of the center and a coordinated refresh of the surrounding park area.
New Amenities And Accessibility
The upcoming center is set to include a fitness room, a full-size indoor basketball court, an elevated walking track, a commercial kitchen and multipurpose rooms, and it will be ADA accessible, according to the DC Department of Parks and Recreation. The same project also covers upgrades to the neighboring 4.6-acre park, ranging from a new entry plaza to improvements to the playground and courts.
Who’s Designing And Building It
Design work is being led by Perkins Eastman DC, and construction will be carried out by a Blue Skye / Coakley & Williams joint venture, as detailed in design submission materials filed with the National Capital Planning Commission. Those filings and presentations list the project team and illustrate the larger building footprint and circulation changes that shaped the current design.
Timeline And Next Steps
The DGS release notes that "demolition will begin imminently, but the park will remain open through the fall," signaling the shift from community outreach to full construction, according to the DC Department of General Services. Officials say phased construction will follow demolition as the site is rebuilt to handle expanded programming.
Where This Fits
The Fort Davis overhaul is part of a broader effort to modernize recreation centers across the District and has been followed in local coverage since the ground-breaking last year. Bowser's $27.5 million revamp documented the project's launch and community reaction in 2025.
Neighbors and local organizers say the expanded indoor space should open the door to more after-school, senior and athletic programming in Ward 7. City agencies have posted the first round of construction photos and are expected to keep rolling out updates as demolition gives way to the full rebuild.
