Gensler-Led Palisades Recreation Center Restoration Holds Official Ground Breaking Marked by Steadfast LA, LA Strong Sports, City of Los Angeles, and Department of Recreation and Parks

PACIFIC PALISADES — Today Steadfast LA marked the official groundbreaking for the Palisades Recreation Center, in partnership with Mayor Karen Bass and the City of Los Angeles and the Department of Recreation and Parks, LA Strong Sports co-founder and Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick, renowned architecture and design firm Gensler, SWA Group, project manager Freeman Group, Latham & Watkins, and key Palisades community groups. The groundbreaking commemorates the beginning of construction on the Palisades Rec Center and surrounding park, which were severely damaged in the Palisades Fire.

In April 2025, Steadfast LA, LA Strong Sports, and the City of Los Angeles forged a public-private partnership to fund, redesign, and rebuild the community space. Today’s groundbreaking represents a significant milestone in Pacific Palisades’ recovery from the January 2025 wildfires, on the heels of Palisades Village’s August 15 reopening. Like Palisades Village, the Pali Rec Center is being rebuilt from the ground up, restoring the gathering areas, fields, and playgrounds that families rely on daily.

“Rebuilding the places where people come together is the first step to restoring a community. We saw it at Palisades Village last month, and we’re seeing it again today at the Rec Center,” said Rick Caruso, Founder and Chairman of Steadfast LA. “This is what a true public-private partnership can achieve. When government, business, and community come together, we can accelerate real progress and deliver something extraordinary for the people who call this place home. I want to thank Mayor Bass, Deputy Mayor Amanda Daflos, Jimmy Kim and his entire department at Recreation and Parks, JJ Redick and LA Strong Sports, Gensler, SWA, Freeman Group, Latham & Watkins, and every local leader who helped make this happen.”

The public-private partnership has worked in close collaboration with Mayor Bass, Amanda Daflos, Deputy Mayor of Strategic Partnerships, and Jimmy Kim, GM of the City’s Department of Recreation and Parks.

“Today is about the Palisades community. Today is about hope,” said Mayor Bass. “The City’s number one pledge has been to eliminate any and all obstacles in the way of rebuilding, and I am proud of the public-private partnerships we have forged to move the recovery forward and restore vital spaces like the Palisades Rec Center for a community that has been through so much loss. I want to thank everyone involved in this effort — especially JJ and Chelsea Redick and the LA Strong Sports team, Rick Caruso and Steadfast LA, the Los Angeles Department of Rec and Parks, and so many community leaders — for their leadership, partnership, and dedication to getting this done.”

LA Strong Sports was formed by JJ and Chelsea Redick, Charles and Jenna Jackson, and Kylee Kilgore to build, sustain, and grow top-tier sports and recreation facilities and programs in Los Angeles in the aftermath of January’s wildfires.

“The Pali Rec Center was a big part of why we chose to move here with our family,” said JJ and Chelsea Redick. “We believe every community needs a place where individuals and families can play and compete, and rebuilding the Pali Rec Center is a big step for ours. We’re glad to help make that happen here alongside our neighbors and partners.”

Designed by global architecture firm Gensler and SWA Group, the rebuild will restore the 17-acre central space and indoor center that anchor community life in the Palisades. The main building will feature two indoor basketball courts, two indoor pickleball courts, an enlarged lobby, and community rooms for birthday parties, ceremonies, and meetings. The surrounding park will include a two-level playground built into the site’s natural slope and connected by embankment slides, a new U10 soccer field, two lighted outdoor basketball courts, and a central gathering space called the Pali Hub, along with additional amenities including terraced spectator seating, shaded seating pods, an enhanced Veterans Garden, bocce courts, and optimized ingress and egress.

With a budget of over $50 million, the project is the largest public-private partnership in the Department of Recreation and Parks’ history, and the full rebuild is expected to be completed in 14 to 16 months. 100% of funding for the project has come from philanthropic donors who stepped forward to make the rebuild possible, and their generosity will be formally recognized at a later date.

“The Palisades Rec Center and Park is the beating heart of this vibrant community. From the start, our vision has been to create a special place that embodies that legacy and will serve the neighborhood, the people, and especially the children for generations to come,” said Andy Cohen, Global Co-Chair of Gensler and Steadfast LA board member. “It’s an honor to help restore this park alongside Rick Caruso and Steadfast LA, LA Strong Sports, and the City of Los Angeles.”

About Steadfast LA

Steadfast LA, founded and led by Rick Caruso, is a civic nonprofit organization dedicated to rebuilding Los Angeles after the devastating January 2025 fires. United by resilience and a shared vision for a stronger future, the organization comprises Angelenos committed to revitalizing the Altadena, Malibu, Pasadena, and Pacific Palisades communities. The group aims to accelerate the rebuilding process with efficiency and innovation by bringing together top leaders, bold ideas, and effective solutions to get things done right and fast. Visit https://www.steadfastla.com for more information about the organization and follow their efforts on social media: X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube.

About LA Strong Sports

Co-founded by Chelsea and JJ Redick, Charles and Jenna Jackson, and Kylee Kilgore, LA Strong Sports brings together leaders committed to youth development and community empowerment. Formed in the aftermath of the January wildfires, the organization is rebuilding and expanding top-tier sports and recreation facilities across Los Angeles, mobilizing resources and grants to restore vital spaces and keep recreation a powerful force for resilience, connection, and healing.

About Gensler

At Gensler, the value of our work stems from its positive impact on the human experience. We are a dynamic and collaborative design firm uniting creativity, research, and innovation to solve complex problems for our clients. Our work challenges conventional ideas about architecture and the built environment. We aren’t just designing buildings — we are reimagining cities and places that make a difference in people’s lives. Founded in 1965, Gensler has built a team of 6,000 professionals who partner with clients in over 100 countries each year. Everything we do is guided by our mission: to create a better world through the power of design.