Lost Battalion Hall rec center reopens in Rego Park after $25.9 million rebuild
The WPA-era Queens Boulevard building, closed since 2022, is back with a new lobby, fitness and spin rooms, a weightlifting area and full accessibility.
Photo: Jim.henderson / Wikimedia Commons · CC0
- Lost Battalion Hall Recreation Center, 93-29 Queens Blvd. in Rego Park, reopened Friday with a ribbon cutting after a four-year, $25.9 million reconstruction.
- Upgrades include a new lobby and entrance, rebuilt and added stairs, accessible bathrooms on every floor and new fitness, spin and weightlifting spaces.
- The building got new fire alarm, sprinkler, heating and cooling systems and a rooftop generator.
- NYC Parks lists building hours of 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays; memberships are sold through NYC Parks.
- Built by the WPA in 1938-39, it is named for the Army's 77th Division unit cut off in the Argonne in 1918.
One of Queens' best-known recreation centers is open again. Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYC Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura announced the reopening of Lost Battalion Hall in Rego Park, with a ribbon cutting set for Friday, after a top-to-bottom reconstruction that kept it closed since 2022, QNS reported.
What's new
The $25.9 million project added a new entrance and lobby, rebuilt the staircases and added another on the building's east side, and put accessible bathrooms on every floor, according to QNS. The weightlifting area, spin room and fitness room were upgraded, along with lockers and storage. Behind the walls, crews installed a new fire alarm and sprinkler system, a rooftop generator, a new water line and water heaters, and new heating and cooling.
A Parks spokesperson told the Forest Hills Times in August that the building is now fully accessible under ADA standards and that its Works Progress Administration murals were covered and protected during construction. The design, by 1100 Architect, began in 2017, and construction started in July 2022.
"Whether you're here to shoot hoops, work out or hang out, this is your recreation center," Mamdani said in a statement quoted by QNS.
A piece of Queens history
The WPA built the hall in 1938 and 1939 for local veterans' groups. It is named for soldiers of the Army's 77th Division, a New York unit that was cut off for five days in the Battle of the Argonne in October 1918, according to NYC Parks. Parks took it over in the 1960s, and the Knicks once used it as an auxiliary practice facility, QNS reported.
If you go
- Address: 93-29 Queens Blvd., Rego Park, between 62nd Avenue and 62nd Road
- Hours: NYC Parks lists building hours of 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday. Check the Parks page before you go.
- Membership: NYC Parks sells recreation center memberships online and at its centers.
- QNSMamdani announces reopening of Lost Battalion Hall rec center in Rego Park after four-year refurbishment
- NYC ParksLost Battalion Hall Recreation Center
- Forest Hills TimesLost Battalion Hall Recreation Center To Reopen This Fall
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