$87M Community Center Opens Doors

SAN DIEGO-After a two-year, $87 million construction project, the Joan Kroc Community Center–one of the largest facilities of its kind in the nation–opend its doors this week.

Named after the widow of McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc, the 12-acre center at 6845 University Ave. was developed by the Salvation Army. The formal name of the facility is the Salvation Army’s Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center.

It’s the world’s largest community center for the Army ‹ one of the largest community centers of any kind in the nation ‹ and the opening drew Mrs. Kroc, at-risk youth as well as a celebrity entertainer: Fred Rogers, creator and host of “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.”

“What a beautiful day in this neighborhood,” he said. The facility includes swimming pools, an ice-skating rink, a skateboard park, performing arts center and a soccer field.

Businesses are capitalizing on the economic growth the Kroc Center is bringing. On Wednesday, they took the occasion to hand out fliers to the hundreds of passersby drawn by the opening.