Heavy equipment prepared to move onto the Palisades Recreation Center site this week, beginning demolition of a gymnasium that for generations served as a gathering place for families, children and the broader Pacific Palisades community.
City leaders say the story unfolding on the site is not simply about tearing something down, but building something back, and potentially changing how Los Angeles rebuilds in the future.
Officials and project partners gathered to mark what leaders described as a historic milestone for a $40 million public private partnership between the city of Los Angeles, Steadfast LA and LA Strong Sports that aims to create a new state-of-the-art recreation and community space following the Jan. 7, 2025, Palisades fire.
“It’s an incredible moment in the history of our great city – I believe this public private partnership has proven that when the public sector and private sector work together, great things can happen,” said Caruso.
Caruso credited the origins of the effort to an unexpected phone call from Los Angeles Lakers Coach J.J. Redick just weeks after the fire.
“I had never met him,” Caruso said. “He cold called me and asked if we wanted to partner together and make this happen.”
For Caruso, the project is rooted in something deeper than buildings.
“The most important part of any community is community space. It’s park space; for seniors, for kids, for families,” he said.
Jimmy Kim, L.A.’s general manager, Department of Recreation & Parks, described the effort as unprecedented. “This is the single largest public private partnership our department has ever seen and the largest donation we’ve ever received at $40 million,” Kim said.
Kim acknowledged that initially he had reservations about whether a project of this scale and speed could come together.
“Mayor Bass wanted us to figure out how we could collaborate,” he said. “Here we are with what I believe is one of the fastest agreements to groundbreaking that we’ve seen.”
City leaders say the project may ultimately influence broader policy decisions around how Los Angeles delivers public projects.
“We’re rapidly looking at what we’ve done here and asking how we change policies to continue these types of public private partnerships,” Kim added.
Mayor Karen Bass framed the recreation center as part of a larger recovery effort for the city.
“Los Angeles’ recovery goes beyond rebuilding homes and businesses, it’s about restoring the vital public spaces that make up the heart and soul of the community, like the Palisades Recreation Center,” Bass said. “Since day one, we’ve been working to cut red tape and bring all stakeholders to the table to move this project and the broader recovery forward.”
Councilmember Traci Park echoed that sentiment.
“I’m incredibly grateful to Steadfast and everyone who generously and graciously supported this effort,” Park said. “The Pali Rec Center is the heartbeat of town, and having it restored is a huge milestone in the recovery.”
The redevelopment effort has also relied on private partners stepping beyond traditional roles. Caruso mentioned that Morley Builders helped reduce fees and contributing expertise and resources to move the project forward.
“Great cities happen because everybody leans in,” Caruso said. “It isn’t about politics – it’s about the greater good.”
While the original 1950’s gymnasium sustained relatively minor damage in the Palisades fire, preservation advocates argued that the structure carried historic significance as the community’s first post World War II civic building.
Caruso said preserving that history remains central to the vision.
“It’s all about respecting the history of this community and what was dear to them while building something for the next hundred years,” he said.
Materials from the original structure will be salvaged and incorporated into the redesign, along with historical photographs intended to preserve the site’s legacy.
Demolition is expected to take about two weeks, with construction beginning in July and a larger park opening anticipated 12 to 18 months later. Project leaders also envision the site becoming a community gathering place for major future events, leading up to the Olympics.