MILWAUKEE — Crews broke ground on a state-of-the-art community center and playfield at the former Browning School site in northwest Milwaukee, marking a new chapter for the area that city leaders say has long lacked recreation access.
The $54 million project will transform the 7.5-acre site at 76th and Silver Spring into a full-service community hub featuring a gym, indoor pool, fitness rooms, elevated walking track, pickleball, basketball and tennis courts, a splash pad and green space.
For homeowners like Shevelle Lee, who has lived in the area for four years, the project means more than just recreation — it's about uplifting her neighborhood.
"We all deserve nice things," Lee said.
The site has been vacant for years, creating challenges for the community.
"This has been a vacant space where people just kind of gather, where it's nothing for our children to do, so this will give them something to do," Lee said.
Lee believes the center will restore community connections.
Watch: New $54 million community center breaks ground in northwest Milwaukee
"I think this will bring back a sense of community and a sense of just kids being kids," Lee said.
Andrew Rossa with Milwaukee Recreation, who grew up on the north side, called the groundbreaking a dream come true. He said the center is the first of its kind, designed through community listening sessions and built to serve an area that has been overlooked.
"We realized there was a desert of data here, on the northwest side of town, by putting a hub of a community right in the middle of everything it makes it easily accessible for anyone to come here and participate so it is a game changer," Rossa said.
For Alderman Mark Chambers, who grew up just blocks away, the project is deeply personal and will have a long-lasting impact on families.
"I know the best is yet to come, this is a small step to a bigger fulfillment, and that is making our direct neighborhood where people can work, eat and play, everything doesn't have to be downtown, it can be right here on the northwest side of Milwaukee," Chambers said.
The center is expected to open in early 2027 and will employ hundreds through its programming. Neighbors say this represents more than a new building — it's progress finally taking shape.
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