Facilities

Throughout the many physical changes Carver Recreation Center has seen over its 62 plus years, it is the numerous programs that have developed inside its walls of which the City of Johnson City is most proud. Its many youth offerings include a robust sports program as well as an afterschool program that provides tutoring, snacks, meals and enrichment programs for about 75 students. Carver Recreation Center is also home to several intergenerational and/or multicultural events each year and continues to focus its efforts on bringing the community together for fun, fellowship and service.

The story of Carver began in 1940 when Louis H. Gump donated the land for the creation of the George Washington Carver Park. The park included the Surjoi Pool, an above ground, wood-framed pool which for many years had been privately operated for “whites only.” In 1952 a lighted softball field was added to the park.

The original Carver Recreation Center, which opened in 1958, was a two-story, 16,00