Progress at Rustic Canyon Recreation Center

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Changes have arrived at Rustic Canyon Recreation Center—in the form of refurbishments, new floors and fresh paint.

“It’s pretty smooth sailing,” said Emily Williams, projects and programs manager of Los Angeles Parks Foundation, of the work.

Last year, LA Parks Foundation helped Rustic refurbish the courtyard, including all new doors, as well as fresh paint. The foundation is working with the city of Los Angeles Office of Historical Resources to ensure that everything remains as historic as possible—which dates backs to the 1920s when all-male self-dubbed The Uplifters Club purchased part of the canyon seeking social refuge and built the clubhouse.

The exclusive club was closed in 1947, and donated to the city by a wealthy socialite in 1953.

A conservator was hired “to treat the red and crème lunette above one set of French doors,” Williams said.

New gym floors were the latest update at Rustic, compliments of the $10 million Los Angeles Clippers program—the same program that helped remodel Palisades Recreation Center. In total, 350 basketball courts throughout the city will be renovated by 2020.

“State of the art wood floor,” Veslemoey Zwart, Rustic Canyon Park Advisory Board president, shared in a social media post. “Thank you, Clippers. Let there be basketball, theater, fencing, badminton, self-defense classes, yoga, tango and Rockabilly Rustic Night.”

Next the outdoor courts will get a facelift, also thanks to the Clippers.

Throughout the remodeling, disruptions to programming at Rustic have remained minimal.

“[Park Director] Paige [Barnes] has been very on top of trying to schedule things,” Williams explained. She mentioned that ceramics classes were still meeting—and that the foundation was working with Rustic to purchase a new kiln.

The goal? To have everything up and running before Rockabilly Rustic Night, which is scheduled this year for Sept. 15 from 6 to 11 p.m. Funds raised at the event will go toward Rustic Canyon Recreation Center.

For more information or to donate to Rustic, visit laparksfoundation.org.