A walker who makes eight trips around the new circular track that surrounds a large patio at the Cove Community Center will have logged one mile.
The walking track, as well as a bocce-ball court and landscaping, is part of the former Cove United Methodist Church’s new lease on life. The City of Lakewood purchased the 1.7-acre property in 2019 for approximately $900,000, completed an adaptive renovation for roughly $5 million and opened the doors to the community center in April 2022. The 18,000-square-foot building at 12525 Lake Ave. houses the city’s Human Services Department, including the divisions of aging, youth and early childhood.
“Now everything is under one roof, and we will have the opportunity for intergenerational programming,” says Chad Berry, director of human services for the City of Lakewood. “We are already seeing the benefits of older adults connecting with younger folks and younger folks benefitting from the experience of older adults.”
Berry says the community center is a place that welcomes everyone, and that those who see the newly renovated space are in “awe over its beauty.” The mid-century modern building built in 1969 features its original brick and stone exterior and white steeple, a 56-foot-high vaulted ceiling, warm wooden architectural elements and secular stained-glass windows. Sustainable, energy-efficient changes and technology upgrades were made. Infinity Construction partnered with Moody Nolan Architects to create the complex.
