May 27. The Town of Davidson will host a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the rehabilitation of the Historic Davidson Gymnasium on Tuesday, May 27, at 5 pm.

The Davidson School Gymnasium, located behind the Davidson Town Hall and Community Center at 251 South St., is a locally designated historical landmark. The building is one of three projects designed by architect Willard G. Rogers in northern Mecklenburg County in 1937.

The Ada Jenkins School and a new 12-room schoolhouse for Cornelius were the other two. Rogers designed a classically inspired 5,230-square-foot building featuring arched windows, solid masonry walls, a main floor and wooden bleachers. The gymnasium will be the Town of Davidson’s first indoor recreation center.

The Town of Davidson selected the design-build team of Balfour-Beatty and Creech & Associates for this project. Construction is scheduled to break ground in June 2025, with completion expected by spring 2026. 

Funding

This project is supported by Mecklenburg County with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and Town of Davidson 2021 and 2023 General Obligation Bonds.

In January 2023, the Mecklenburg County Board of County Commissioners approved funding for 75 local projects utilizing $99 million allocated from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021. The allocated funds will address the County Commissioners’ budget priorities: Affordable Housing and Homelessness, Behavioral Health and Health Equity, Childcare and Early Childhood Development, Parks, Environment and Infrastructure, Workforce and Economic Development. ARPA was signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11, 2021, allowing local governments to provide direct assistance to communities that have been most impacted by COVID-19.

For a full list of ARPA recipients, visit MeckNC.gov.