T.B. McPherson Recreation Complex Master Plan 2025-2026
- Project typeRenovation
- Contractor nameNV5 | Monarch Design Group
Project Understanding
The T.B. McPherson Recreation Complex is a 15-acre community park located in District 1 in the City of Gainesville. The site includes a recreation center, a variety of outdoor park amenities, and the Andrew R. Mickle, Sr. Municipal Swimming Pool. It serves as an important neighborhood asset by providing recreational, cultural, and wellness opportunities for residents of all ages.
The 5,688-square-foot recreation center is available for reservation and is frequently rented for community gatherings and celebrations. In addition to private use, the center hosts a range of programs provided by the City—such as the Teen Summer Camp—as well as activities led by local partners like 1,000 Voices, a nonprofit offering cultural arts classes such as arts and crafts, chorus, and musical theatre. The facility also supports community health initiatives like the UF College of Dentistry’s Saving Smiles program, which supplies free on-site preventive and limited dental care.
The surrounding park features parking, restrooms, lighted basketball and tennis courts, diamond fields, unpaved trails, picnic tables, grills, a pavilion, a playground, and outdoor fitness stations. Various youth and adult programs are available, such as tennis lessons, kickball, and other outdoor recreational activities.
The Andrew R. Mickle, Sr. Municipal Swimming Pool is a fully equipped aquatic facility offering seven short-course lap lanes, one- and three-meter diving boards, locker rooms, showers, and a deck and picnic area. The pool operates on a seasonal schedule and is used for swimming lessons and special events.
Despite its many offerings, the T.B. McPherson Recreation Complex is among the least utilized parks in the city. The 2023 Needs Assessment identified the recreation center as a priority for significant improvement, citing issues such as limited visibility and poor internal layout, which hinder effective program delivery.
Additionally, the park’s furnishings, landscaping, and hardscape were identified as needing enhancement within a 1- to 5-year timeframe.
To address these challenges and guide future investment, the City of Gainesville’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department is initiating a comprehensive master planning process. The goal is to develop a 10-year vision that revitalizes the T.B. McPherson Recreation Complex and transforms it into a vibrant, well-utilized community asset.
1. Programmatic Vision for the T.B. McPherson Center: The first and primary objective is to determine the future programming elements of the T.B. McPherson Recreation Center. The facility will focus on creative learning and community-based programming, in alignment with the 2023 feasibility study’s recommendation to pilot arts-related initiatives in strategic locations. Potential uses may include studio space for wet arts and ceramics, a flexible black box theater that can be adapted for seminars and rentals, and equipment for digital arts. The planning effort should explore how the facility can best support this vision of an arts and expression space, including evaluating renovation needs and opportunities for flexible, multipurpose use.
2. Site-Wide Master Plan for the Complex: The second component is a conceptual master plan for the overall site—including the surrounding grounds and park amenities. This effort will evaluate existing conditions, identify service gaps, and provide recommendations to guide future investment in the facility over the next 10 years.
The master planning process must be community-driven and reflect the priorities of surrounding neighborhoods, stakeholders, and program partners.
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Location
1717 SE 15th St, 32641 View Map
29.6339267,-82.3053213
1717 SE 15th St ,
32641
T.B. McPherson Recreation Complex Master Plan 2025-2026