Massive New Indoor Sports Complex Opening In Pullman
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The largest indoor sports complex in the Chicago area will open Thursday morning in the Pullman neighborhood.
The $20 million Pullman Community Center features three full-sized indoor synthetic turf athletic fields that can be used for baseball, football, soccer, and lacrosse; three hardwood courts that can be used for basketball, tennis, and volleyball; meeting rooms for education, tutoring, and mentoring programs; and common space for community events.
The center is co-owned by the Chicago Park District and the Roseland Youth Center. It sits on 12 acres of land that had been vacant for years before the official groundbreaking in 2014.
In May, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and other dignitaries signed a large steel beam to kick off construction of the 135,000-square-foot complex at 103rd and Woodlawn.
Officials will cut the ribbon on the center at 9:30 a.m.
As many as 100 people will have full-time and part-time jobs at the facility.
According to the Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives, the center will have the capacity to host up to 1,200 various teams, and 50,000 participants, spectators, and visitors each year.
As many as 150 students from area schools will join the mayor, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, and other community leaders for the ribbon cutting.
The facility is just the latest development helping to ignite something of an economic renaissance in Pullman.
In January, Whole Foods opened a new 140,000-square-foot distribution center, which will supply some 70 stores in the Midwest and Canada.
Last month, construction began on One Eleven Food Hall. Billed as a restaurant incubator, it will include a bakery and café, a restaurant featuring vegan food, a catering business, and a rotating pop-up shop.
These developments dovetail with the neighborhood's designation as the state's first national monument in 2015.
