One of Brownwood’s longtime community recreation facilities is preparing for a major transformation — but one important piece of the building isn’t going anywhere.
The Bennie Houston Recreation Center at 505 Cordell Street is moving toward an extensive $3.5 million renovation that will preserve the center’s existing gymnasium while demolishing and rebuilding much of the facility around it.
According to newly filed state construction records, the finished project will encompass approximately 8,256 square feet.
Construction is currently listed to begin in October 2026, with completion targeted for October 2027.
But getting to this point has taken years.
Brownwood has been planning this project since 2022
The transformation of the Bennie Houston Recreation Center can be traced back to Brownwood’s 2022-23 budget process.
The city originally budgeted $100,000 for a splash pad at neighboring Cecil Holman Park. Instead, officials ultimately redirected those funds toward improvements at the recreation center.
Brownwood then began studying what the aging facility could become.
An asbestos survey was completed in November 2022, followed by an early conceptual study from BSW Architects. By April 2023, the city was holding stakeholder meetings and a City Council workshop to gather input about the center’s future. Brownwood’s Bennie Houston Recreation Center project page
City staff even toured other recreation centers in 2023 to study amenities, layouts and programming that could work in Brownwood.
Those discussions eventually evolved into something considerably larger than a basic renovation.
Most of the recreation center will be rebuilt
The state filing describes the project pretty simply: the gym structure will remain, while everything else will be demolished and built new.
Brownwood’s plans show just how substantial that transformation will be.
The existing gymnasium will stay, but its old stage will be demolished. Removing the stage will return approximately 350 square feet to the gym floor, creating additional court space and bringing the playing surface closer to regulation size. City of Brownwood project update
Then Brownwood will essentially rebuild the rest of the community center around it.
Plans include two new additions.
The front of the building will gain a redesigned entrance, larger lobby and reception area, staff offices, accessible restrooms, storage and new community spaces.
Another addition alongside the gym will provide spectator seating for approximately 80 to 85 people along with additional support space. Bennie Houston project plans and renderings
A new kitchen and multipurpose room are coming, too
The project isn’t focused solely on sports.
A new kitchen will include commercial appliances, preparation tables and a serving bar, making it better suited for events and community programming.
Plans also call for a flexible multipurpose room.
Depending on the activity, Brownwood says that space could function as a tutoring or study room, classroom, game room or meeting area. Bennie Houston Recreation Center project details
Accessibility is another major component of the redesign, with ADA improvements incorporated throughout the new facility.
Altogether, the project turns Bennie Houston into something much broader than simply a neighborhood gym.
Brownwood landed a record $1.5 million grant
And Brownwood isn’t paying for the entire transformation alone.
In February 2025, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission awarded Brownwood a $1.5 million Indoor Recreation Grant for the project.
According to the city, it was the largest Texas Parks and Wildlife Department grant Brownwood had ever received. City of Brownwood project history
Brownwood is providing the required local match and additional funding needed to complete the project.
The estimated price has also changed as planning progressed.
Earlier versions placed the project around $3 million. By May 2026, the city’s probable construction cost had increased to approximately $3.5 million, including contingencies and adjustments for construction inflation. Brownwood construction cost update
That figure now matches the estimated construction cost appearing in the latest state filing.
Brownwood has already revealed what the new center will look like
Unlike plenty of projects that appear in construction filings long before the public gets to see them, Brownwood has already released official renderings and floor plans for Bennie Houston.
The city unveiled the new design during its Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration at the recreation center on January 19, 2026. See the Bennie Houston renderings
The exterior renderings show a dramatically different building with a modernized entrance and updated architectural appearance while retaining the existing gym structure behind it.
Those renderings also give residents a much clearer picture of what several years of planning have been working toward.
The project is now moving toward construction
The Bennie Houston project has progressed beyond conceptual planning.
Engineering and architectural work led by Jacob & Martin has moved through final design, and Brownwood is now working through the process necessary to get construction underway. City project timeline
There is a slight difference between the current schedules.
The state filing lists construction beginning October 12, 2026, while Brownwood’s project information anticipates construction beginning around November 2026 following final approvals, procurement and grant-related requirements.
Either way, dirt should begin moving later this year if the project remains on schedule.
More than just another city building
Bennie Houston has long served as a neighborhood recreation and gathering space in Brownwood.
The existing facility includes a 4,851-square-foot gymnasium and has hosted recreation programs, community activities and private events. Bennie Houston Recreation Center facility page
Its location beside Cecil Holman Park also gives Brownwood an opportunity to strengthen the two properties as a larger neighborhood recreation hub.
And instead of abandoning the existing building and starting somewhere else, the city is keeping its most important piece — the gym — while rebuilding nearly everything around it.
More than four years after the idea began taking shape, that transformation is finally approaching construction.
Bottom line — Brownwood is preparing to invest $3.5 million into a major rebuild of the Bennie Houston Recreation Center, preserving its existing gym while adding new community spaces, spectator seating, a commercial kitchen and a dramatically redesigned facility around it.