A neighborhood institution returns
Lost Battalion Hall Recreation Center has reopened in Rego Park after a $25.9 million reconstruction that modernized the building while retaining a public space with deep ties to Queens history. The project refurbished exercise areas and the basketball court, redesigned the entrance and restrooms, and replaced core safety and building systems.
City officials announced the reopening Friday. The timing returns an indoor recreation option as colder weather approaches, but the work went well beyond cosmetic repairs. The building now has accessible restrooms on every floor, wider circulation routes, new equipment and a redesigned lobby intended to make the center easier to use.
Accessibility reshaped the interior
The reconstruction added doors at the main entrance, relocated and enclosed stairways near the lobby, rebuilt existing staircases and created a new staircase on the east side. Restrooms on the first and second floors were redesigned with accessible stalls and fixtures. A storage room became additional accessible restrooms, while bathrooms that could not accommodate wheelchair users were converted into changing rooms.
Fitness spaces also received substantial work. The weightlifting area, spin room and fitness room were refurbished and supplied with new equipment. Lockers and storage were upgraded, and the basketball court received fresh paint. Together, those changes are meant to support organized programs as well as everyday neighborhood use.
Less visible systems received major upgrades
The building now has a new fire alarm and sprinkler system, a rooftop generator and a new water line. New water heaters are intended to improve energy efficiency, while a new heating and cooling system will regulate the lobby through the year. Those infrastructure changes matter because a recreation center cannot operate reliably if aging mechanical or safety systems force interruptions.
The city describes the work as a top-to-bottom reconstruction. As with any large capital project, the next measure will be performance: whether the improvements reduce closures, keep equipment available and allow residents of different ages and abilities to participate comfortably.
A building with several lives
Lost Battalion Hall was constructed in 1939 after the Works Progress Administration set aside $100,000 for a two-story, 36,000-square-foot home for Queens veterans’ groups. Its original design included a drill hall and firing range. The city placed the property under Parks jurisdiction in December 1960, and it was converted into a public recreation center with basketball courts.
The name honors more than 500 soldiers from the Army’s 77th Division, many of them New Yorkers, who were surrounded in France’s Argonne Forest in October 1918 and held their position for nearly a week. A surviving WPA mural on Parks property recalls the building’s origins as a veterans’ hall.
The center later became part of New York’s basketball history. The Knicks used it as an auxiliary practice facility in the 1960s, and local players including Queens native Kenny Smith trained there. That legacy helps explain why the reopening carries meaning beyond the construction budget.
What the investment is meant to deliver
Rego Park has fewer large parks and playgrounds than many neighborhoods, making an all-season indoor facility especially important for young people, older adults and families. A modern building cannot solve every gap in recreation access, but it can provide a stable place for exercise, programs and informal community life.
The reconstruction preserves an unusual blend of military memory, New Deal-era public architecture and neighborhood sports culture. Its success will be clearest not at the ribbon cutting, but in sustained use of the court, fitness rooms and gathering spaces in the years ahead.
Source: New York City Mayor’s Office reconstruction and reopening details. Reporting reviewed October 10, 2026.