Douglass Park and Douglass Center

Douglass Park and Douglass Center

Image Credit:
Left: Douglass Center, c. late 1940s, Champaign County Archives, Urbana Free Library, Urbana, Illinois │ Right: Douglass Center, Courtesy of Champaign Park District

510-512 E. Grove St., Champaign, IL

The Park and Center are named for the great African American orator and abolitionist, Frederick Douglass. In 1941, the Douglass Community Service Committee began an effort to raise funds for a new complex, to be built on two empty lots. Ground broke in 1944 and the Center was completed in 1946. The Center held classes in art, music, and sewing, among other activities. Athletics included adult softball, baseball, basketball, track, and tennis. The Center hosted many social events. One of the groups that brought national recognition to the Center was its Drum and Bugle Corps and Drill Team. In 1975, 200 residents protested the decision by the Park Board to demolish the old Douglass Center and replace it with a new gym. The group advocated for the old Center to be replaced with a new, full-service, comprehensive Center. After much discussion between the community and the Park Board, the “old” Center was torn down and a new Center was constructed. It opened on December 12, 1976. In March 1978, the Douglass Annex opened with a focus on senior citizens, and in 1997 the Douglass Branch Library moved into its current site.

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By 1940, the African American population in Champaign-Urbana was beginning to grow rapidly, and residents recognized the need for a permanent facility dedicated to serving the broad recreational and social interests of Black residents. A committee formed and successfully raised funds for a new recreation complex adjacent to Douglass Park. Construction began on February 18, 1945, and the Douglass Community Center opened later that year.

For generations of residents, the Douglass Center became a second home where they could play, participate in team activities, take classes, and attend civic meetings and social events. Programming at the Douglass Center catered to countless interests, including baseball, track and field, boxing, roller skating, theatre, dance, music, art, crafts, and more.

Among the most celebrated programs at the Douglass Center were the all-male Drum Corps and the all-female Drill Team. While the Drum Corps marched and played the drums, the Drill Team would dance to their beat. In 1968, the Drum Corps entered the National Elks Competition held in New York City and competed against 346 other Drum Corps teams from all fifty states. Despite steep odds and tough competition, the Douglass Center Drum Corps won first place. Their victory made national news and was celebrated at home and across the country.

After decades of use, the original Douglass Center building was torn down and a new facility opened on December 12, 1976. The decision to rebuild the Douglass Center sparked conversation, and residents organized and advocated to ensure that the new center would continue to adequately serve the community. In March 1978, the Douglass Annex opened with a focus on senior programming. It added extra space for classes, meetings, and community use.

The Douglass Community Center and Park continue to provide daily recreational activities, annual festivals, and celebrations. They remain the vibrant center of Champaign County’s African American community.

This trail stop is sponsored by:

Champaign Park District

Decade:

1940-1949

Location(s):

  • Champaign, Illinois
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