Nearly 5 years since U of D Jesuit bought Johnson Recreation Center from the City of Detroit, the center has surpassed Mr. Ed Maddox’s initial expectations. Maddox is the Director of the P.A.R.C. and a former Spanish teacher at U of D Jesuit. The Johnson Recreation Center in northwest Detroit, built in 1956, holds a significant place in Detroit’s history as a community gathering place. Named after Sheldon Johnson, an advocate for recreational facilities, the center originally provided valuable amenities, including a gym and a pool, to support Detroit’s Black residents. The residents often faced limited access to such resources. Johnson championed the construction of a public pool, helping bridge a gap for local youth who previously lacked swimming opportunities.
The center closed in 2006, along with numerous other Detroit recreational facilities, foreshadowing the bankruptcy of the City of Detroit. For more than a decade, it remained vacant, becoming one of the many facilities affected by the city’s economic challenges.
In 2019, a revitalization effort began when University of Detroit Jesuit High School purchased the property. The brave decision by the U of D Jesuit community to open the center community was not a request of the City of Detroit, but instead an offering of peace between U of D Jesuit and its surrounding community.
Upon its return to operations, U of D Jesuit promised that Johnson Recreation Center would be accessible to the community. Pat Haviland is an active member of Johnson recreation center. She participates in a pickleball club that meets during the wintertime at Johnson Recreation center, but that wasn’t always the case. “Our games were outside year-round at Palmer Park; [we were] shoveling snow from the court before we could begin a game… Discovering J.R.C. [Johnson Recreation Center] was truly a warm and welcoming relief to our winter routine.” The club meets from November to April in the gym and has donated pickleball nets to the center in hopes that others would enjoy the sport as much as Ms. Haviland and her other club members. “A special thank you to Ed and Johnnie who from the very beginning have been very supportive.”
Students at the University of Detroit Jesuit have also utilized the space for different clubs and sports. Vince Perkins ’26 plays basketball in the gym after school. Along with his involvement in the basketball program, Perkins practices in the off season thanks to the Johnson Recreation Center. The powerlifting club debuted this school year and utilized the new weightroom at the center. Alexander Fisenko ’26 is a founding member of the club and a powerlifting enthusiast. The club meets at Johnson Recreation to use the “peck deck, better squat racks, and overall awesome equipment.” Zach Barringer ’26 and his classmates went above and beyond this spring to help a member neighboring the center raise flower beds. Students are able to utilize the space, regardless of athletic involvement, thanks to their U of D Jesuit student I.D.s.
Maddox’s focuses his efforts as the director as an ambassador for U of D Jesuit. “The Johnson Rec Center provides an opportunity to live our mission through the work that we do there.” Stepping away from the classroom was difficult for Maddox, but he remembers, “seeing my former students smiling when they entered the building my first year and seeing them greet me with smiles felt like an approval from them.” Mr. Maddox gave a tour of the facility last year to Mayor Mike Duggan who was impressed with the facility and the work U of D Jesuit has put into the center. He stated, “U of D has done a phenomenal job with this facility. Staying here in the city and continuing to build is remarkable.” After hearing about U of D Jesuit’s purchase of the Recreation Center, Mr. Maddox was excited to hear that it would be shared with the community as a space for them to use once again. Over the past two years, Mr. Maddox points out, “Community presence is high, student usage is consistent, and overall, we’ve managed to establish equitable use for everyone.”
Looking forward, Mr. Maddox hopes to invite more groups from U of D Jesuit. Above all, he wants “to support any initiative that enriches the student experience at The High and within the community.” The basketball and wrestling teams are preparing to expand their programs thanks to the facilities offered by Johnson Recreation Center. Ms. Haviland invites anyone to check out the pickleball club during the winter making the new sport assessable to anyone, saying, “We play for fun and exercise!”
Students are welcome to check out the Johnson recreation center and what it has to offer at https://www.uofdjesuit.org/our-school/our-campuses23/johnson-recreation-center-parc
