Facilities

The W.D. Hill Playground will be closed February 15-17 for tree removal. Thank you for your understanding!

The W.D. Hill Recreation Center is located at the intersection of Fayetteville Street and Massey Street, surrounded by local landmarks, such as the Hayti Heritage Center, North Carolina Central University, and the Lincoln Community Health Center.

W.D. Hill Fitness Center

The fitness center at W.D. Hill offers a variety of equipment for your cardio, core and strength workout needs. Please bring your own towel.

• Cardio equipment: treadmills, ‘stationary’ mountain bikes and jump ropes
• Core equipment: stability balls, medicine balls, kettlebells and a designated area for floor exercises
• Strength equipment: free weights (with smith cage and bench), dumbbells and resistance bands

W.D. Hill Fitness Center
The fitness room at W.D. Hill is open. Please visit our Fitness page for more details.

W.D. Hill Fitness Center Hours of Operation
Monday - Friday	10 a.m. - 1 p.m., 4 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Saturday	10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Indoor Walking 
Indoor walking is available at W.D. Hill at no cost.

Indoor Walking Hours of Operation
Monday - Friday	9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Programming

W.D. Hill offers programs for all ages all year round. View our Play More Guide online or search ActiveNet for our current programs.

Rentals

W.D. Hill Recreation Center has a variety of rooms available to rent for your next meeting, birthday party, baby shower, etc. Visit the Photo Gallery for a look inside.

For availability, complete a Recreation Center Rental Request Form.

Room	Capacity	Details
Gymnasium	400	Includes use of bleachers & scoreboard
Multipurpose Room	85	Includes use of kitchen & room divider
Dance Studio	25	Equipped with ballet barres, mirrors & sound system
Multi-use Outdoor Futsal Court	100	Includes use of soccer goals, picnic shelter & portable picnic benches

Rental Fees
Refundable Deposit	CR: $200 | NCR: $200 (Required for all rentals)
Application Fee	CR: $15 | NCR: $15 (Non Refundable)
Food Fee	CR: $25 | NCR: $25 (Assessed when food/beverages are served)
Gymnasium	CR: $60 | NCR: $75/hour
Multipurpose Room	CR: $30 | NCR: $75/hour
Dance Studio	CR: $30 | NCR: $45/hour
Multi-use Outdoor Futsal Court	CR: $5 NCR: $5/hour (1-25 people) NCR: $15/hour (26-125 people) NCR: $25/hour (126+ people)
Rentals outside of Non-operational hours	CR: Add $15/hour | NCR: Add $15/hour
Admission Fees or Ticket Sales	CR: $200 | NCR: $200
Custodial Fee/Table and Chair set up	$25 (1-50 people) $50 (51-100 people) $75 (101-150 people) $100 (151-200 people) $125 (201-250 people) $150 (251-300 people) $175 (301-350 people)

Community Partnerships

The W.D. Hill Recreation Center welcomes outside community organizations and non-profit agencies to partner with DPR in offering shared vision programming. For additional information, please contact the recreation center.

History

The recreation center is named after William Daniel Hill (1890-1945), better known by his initials "W.D." Hill was an executive of North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Co. and the prime mover in that firm's projects to serve Durham's African American youth. Working with John H. Wheeler of Mechanics and Farmers Bank, Hill lobbied for and won a USO Club for black GIs in Durham. After the war (WWII), the club was reorganized in Hill's memory as the W.D. Hill Community Center. (Museum of Durham History website)

On Thursday, August 15, 2019, a North Carolina Historical Marker was permanently added outside of the W.D. Hill Recreation Center to recognize the Algonquin Tennis Club. During the 1930s through the 1960s tennis greats Arthur Ashe, Althea Gibson, Johns Lucas, Bonnie Logan, Joe Williams, and Irwin Holmes played at the tennis club. The Algonquin Tennis Club gave African-American residents a place to gather to not only play tennis, but as a space for dances, receptions, card games, dinners, and more.

Today, W.D. Hill is a short bike ride from downtown, and connects to Hillside Park which boasts a Futsal court, playground, basketball courts, baseball fields, picnic tables, picnic shelter, sprayground and more.