Central Los Angeles : Expansion Planned for Alpine Center
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Elbow room is on its way to the tiny Alpine Recreation Center in Chinatown.
The Yale Street center is undergoing a $1.9-million expansion that by next year should include a full-size gymnasium with bleachers, a new play area, lobby, gazebo and more storage space.
It will be a welcome relief since the Alpine, built in the 1950s, is the only recreation center or park in densely populated Chinatown.
Residents of all ages visit the center for everything from basketball to Chinese folk-dancing classes to tai chi. Jan Lundrum, center director, said that 10,000 to 14,000 people use the facilities every week.
The new construction will include a portico painted green and red, the Chinese colors of good luck. A gazebo, where people can play Chinese chess or other board games, will be designed to resemble a Chinese fan.
Officials said space is so tight that the city allowed Yale Street to be closed in front of the center between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. The goal is to use the street area as permanent recreation space, they said.
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