Rainier Community Center

About

*We are closed for a capital improvement project until Spring 2023; see info below.*

Rainier Community Center is located in southeast Seattle's Columbia City neighborhood, in one of the most diverse zip codes in the country.

Built in 1996, the building is the second largest community center in the state, and includes two full-sized gyms, a large lobby, multipurpose room with commercial grade kitchen, a fitness room and a number of smaller rooms that are used for meetings, classes and programs. The east wall of that lobby has distinctive artwork created by artist Marita Dingus and youth from the center.

The community center is surrounded by trees, plants, and flowers, and across the street to the west is Rainier Playfield with its three baseball fields, a large play area, picnic tables and benches, two basketball courts, and four tennis courts. East of the building is Genesee Park, which extends to Lake Washington. The adjacent Columbia City neighborhood along Rainier Ave. is a vibrant community with shops and restaurants, a branch of the Seattle Public Library, a light rail station, and the Orca K-8 School.

The center's size and location make it an ideal venue for a wide array of activities and events for all ages. It is easily one of the busiest community centers in Seattle! Among the many offerings are piano lessons for kids, popular pickleball games for seniors, United Way's Free Tax Help program, special events, and Late Night program for teens every Friday and Saturday.

Current Projects

Rainier Community Center Play Area Playground Renovation

Visit Rainier Community Center Play Area Playground Renovation to learn more about this project.

Rainier Community Center ADA Barrier Removal Project

Late Fall 2022

The construction start date for the Rainier Community Center ADA Barrier Removal Project has been scheduled for the end of June 2022. Both the community center and parking lot will be closed starting after June 17, 2022 and reopen in spring of 2023. The play area will remain open.

Budget

Real Estate Excise Tax provides $2.1 Million in funding for this project.

Schedule

Design: January 2020 - February 2022
Bidding: March 2022 - June 2022
Construction: Late June 2022 - Spring 2023

Project Description

This project corrects approximately 100 documented barriers to accessibility on the Seattle Barrier Removal Schedule. The project includes:

• Accessible parking stalls at the south and east entrances
• Accessible pathways, ramp, and entrance from parking area to the community center south and east entrances and to the playground
• Miscellaneous interior improvements to remove barriers to accessibility (and the ADA) at toilet rooms and shower rooms, multi-purpose room, kitchen, classrooms, exercise room etc.

Lawn and planting areas that are disturbed during construction will be restored once construction is completed. New trees will also be planted to replace most of the ones that recently failed.

Anticipated Site Impacts:
The Community Center and parking lot will close to the public during construction. The play area will remain open.

Contact Information:
For more information, please contact Stephen Levengood at (206) 386-4556 or Stephen.Levengood@Seattle.Gov