High Point has a brand-new home for its older residents. The Roy B. Culler, Jr. Center for Active Adults sits at 521 James Road, next door to Oakview Recreation Center, and regular programming is set to begin Monday, Nov. 9.
The new facility replaces the longtime senior center on N. Hamilton Street, which was demolished before the new center was built to make way for parking at the Nido and Mariana Qubein Children's Museum, according to the High Point Enterprise. The Enterprise described the project as a $12 million, 20,000-square-foot facility, and High Point voters approved the bond in 2019.
Before the new building could open, the city needed to shut down its temporary operation. The Eastchester Drive senior center, which had been serving as a stand-in location at 921 Eastchester Drive in the former Oak Hollow Mall, closed effective Oct. 19 to allow relocation to the new facility, per the same account.
Built Around Fitness, Learning and Social Connection
City officials say the Culler Center was designed around four themes: fitness and wellness, lifelong learning, recreation and arts, and social connections. The center is intended for residents age 50 and older.
Tillery told the station that the push behind the project reflects a demographic shift in the city. “Tillery said that with more people over 50, the city needed to offer more resources,” FOX8 WGHP reported while the project was still in the planning stages. That earlier FOX8 report described a proposed Center for Active Adults at 503 James Rd. moving forward after years of planning, projected at about 20,000 square feet with a walking track, pickleball courts and fitness equipment, with final design plans expected that April and construction targeted to begin the following summer for a completion around fall 2026. The station also noted that preliminary renderings at the time indicated a ball field and parking lot would be lost to make room for the project. The available evidence does not establish which planning details changed between that proposal and the finished building.
Programming on offer is expected to include art and crafting classes, yoga, educational seminars, day trips and card games, rounding out the center's focus on recreation and social connection for older adults.
Named for Roy B. Culler, Jr., Tours Set Before the Opening
The center is named for Roy B. Culler, Jr.
Reports differ on the exact timing of public tours held ahead of regular programming: the Enterprise's opening-day report stated tours began at 11 a.m. on Nov. 6, while a city of High Point web page described tours beginning at noon that same day. Regular programming at the Roy B. Culler, Jr. Center for Active Adults is scheduled to begin Monday, Nov. 9, giving High Point's older residents a permanent new base after years of waiting for a replacement to the Hamilton Street center.
