City of Bloomington, IN - Banneker Community Center

The Banneker Community Center is a City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation community and cultural hub dedicated to inspiring residents to maximize their full potential. The facility opened in 1915 as the Banneker School, a "colored school" that featured 93 elementary students and three teachers. In 1949, the Indiana State Legislature passed an act eliminating segregated schools and in 1951 the Ba

nneker School was closed and renamed the Fairview Annex, where 61 black and white sixth-grade students were educated. In 1954, nearby Fairview Elementary School was renovated and the Fairview Annex was purchased by the City of Bloomington to become the Westside Community Center, operated by the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department. In 1993, following a lengthy renovation, former Westside Community Center director Norman Merrifield successfully petitioned to have the facility renamed the Benjamin Banneker Community Center in honor of the original Banneker School. The Banneker Community Center has featured after school programming, summer camps, and community events that aim to inspire participants to maximize their potential since 1954. The facility continues to be a hub for area minorities to celebrate culture and diversity in a safe and welcoming environment.