The Michelle and Barack Obama Sports Complex, previously known as the Rancho Cienega Recreation Center, is a multibuilding sports complex in

Baldwin Hills, Los Angeles Baldwin Hills is a neighborhood within the South Los Angeles region of Los Angeles, California. It is home to Kenneth Hahn State Regional Park and to Village Green, a National Historic Landmark. History 19th century Baldwin Hills and other s ...

. The complex is named after Michelle and

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

, where Barack Obama held a rally at the center in 2007. The complex neighbors

Susan Miller Dorsey High School Susan Miller Dorsey High School is a high school located in the Crenshaw, Los Angeles, Crenshaw District of Los Angeles, California. It is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. The school serves Baldwin Hills, Los Angeles, California, ...

, who is partnered with them for its use in school events.

History

In 1936, plans for what would become the Rancho Cienega Playground was laid out, with construction beginning that same year. In 1937, the newly opened

partnered with the center to host its sporting events. Sports coach

Benny Lefebvre Benny M. Lefebvre (; November 16, 1912 – April 2, 1994) was an American athlete and sports coach. After graduating from Manual Arts High School, Lefebvre had a long career in professional football that spanned from 1934 to 1949. He also serve ...

served as a playground supervisor for the park in the 1930s. In 1998, the pool at the Center was renamed to the Celes King III Swimming Pool, honoring the businessman. In 2007, presidential candidate Barack Obama held a rally at the Rancho Cienega Recreation Center in the beginning of his campaign. In 2013, the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

alongside the

LA84 Foundation The LA84 Foundation (known until June 2007 as the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles) is a private, nonprofit institution created by the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee to manage Southern California's endowment from the 1984 Olym ...

dedicated a Dodgers Dreamfield in the Center, with the field being the 30th Dreamfield they had unveiled.

Renovation and renaming

In 2015, Studio Pali Fekete Architects were selected by the City of Los Angeles to expand and redevelop the Rancho Cienega Sports Complex, which would be renamed the Michelle and Barack Obama Sports Complex in honor of Michelle and Barack Obama. The project would be designed to meet LEED silver certification and have a net zero energy use. In April 2021, it was reported that the project was 95% complete and would be finished during the summer. On June 29, 2022, the new Michelle and Barack Obama Sports Complex was inaugurated. It now includes over 24 acres with an indoor gym and two high school basketball courts as well as a mezzanine walking track and a new Olympic-size pool. The court was renovated as a part of the city and the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

's efforts to renovate all 350 courts in Los Angeles. In July 7, 2022, the complex opened to the public.

Facilities

The facilities include a 23,000-square-foot pool facility, a 16,000-square-foot basketball gymnasium, a raised walking track, a tennis center and stadium, and an enclosed garden. The facilities are pre-engineered manufactured buildings so it would be cost-effective.

References

{{Michelle Obama Buildings and structures in Los Angeles Barack Obama Michelle Obama