{"nrhp_refnum":"03000802","name":"Cedar Street Recreation Center","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"822 Cedar St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New Bern","county":"Craven County","state":"NC","lat":35.11250421300008,"lon":-77.04607373599998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2003-08-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation","Black"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A large one-story concrete block gymnasium and community center at 822 Cedar Street in the Dryborough neighborhood of New Bern, Craven County, North Carolina. Construction began in 1948 and was finished in 1952.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is significant under Criterion A for recreation and Black ethnic heritage. It was the first recreation center built in New Bern for the city's African American youth. Residents, students and World War II veterans built it with donated money and labor, and it later became a center of community life.","narrative":"Built in 1948 on the corner of Bern and Cedar Streets in New Bern's Dryborough neighborhood, this concrete block gymnasium was the city's first recreation center for African American youth. At the time, the city's other recreation centers were reserved for white residents. The New Bern Civic League organized the project, and students sold concrete blocks at five cents each to raise money. Local high school brickmasonry students and World War II veterans did the construction work. The walls went up first, and for about two years the unfinished building had no roof or floor, yet it was used for basketball games and meetings. After the League deeded the property to the city in 1951, New Bern added the roof, wood floor and a front wing in 1952. The center hosted high school basketball, a kindergarten and civic meetings, and basketball star Walter Bellamy began playing there in the 1950s. After it stopped serving as a gymnasium in the 1970s, it became a venue for dances, concerts and banquets. It was later renamed the Jasper G. Hayes Omega Center.","period_of_significance":"1948-1953","architect_builder":"Unknown (built by West Street High School brickmasonry students under teacher Jasper G. Hayes, with World War II veteran classmates)","architectural_style":"Modern Movement","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Described as well preserved, carefully maintained and in continuous use, now as a multi-purpose space for community gatherings and events.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:54.263507-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/76/7197/47719776/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/03000802.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03000802/1c9cd0d5f1-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03000802/1c9cd0d5f1-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Cecouchman","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CedarStRecCenter_5427.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Cecouchman</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CedarStRecCenter_5427.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"03000965","name":"New Bern Historic District (Boundary Increase) (Additional Documentation)","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/north-carolina/new-bern-historic-district-boundary-increase-additional-documentation-03000965/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47719776","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedar_Street_Recreation_Center","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18148877"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/craven-county/cedar-street-recreation-center-03000802/"}