Hylander Recreation Center is a state-of-the-art athletic facility and community center that is the result of a unique collaboration between the Columbia Heights School District and the City of Columbia Heights. DeVetter Design Group worked closely with both school district and city representatives to create a flexible-use athletic facility that expands each group’s access to a larger venue when needed. In essence, each institution has the use of a larger building while paying for the operational costs of a smaller facility.

This is accomplished through a mutually written joint powers agreement that DeVetter Design Group facilitated through the building design. This building expansion not only gave the school district and the city the physical education facilities they needed, but it allowed the architect to create a new public face for the school district. This building reinforces the excitement of school and community cooperation in the project and helps to bring these entities closer together. The project features two new gymnasium spaces, exercise rooms, lockers, concessions, separate entrances, and a weight room with a curved glass wall that overlooks the main entrance.