The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

Wellesley Sports Center — ground has been broken

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The Wellesley Sports Center had its groundbreaking at 900 Worcester St. (Route 9 eastbound) last Friday, and all the movers and shakers who worked to advance the project were there, along with a tent-ful of Town officials, residents, and team members from Edge Sports Group and Dacon Corporation.

Wellesley's St. James Church
900 Worcester St. is the former site of St. James the Great Catholic Church, which was officially shuttered by the Archdiocese of Boston in 2004. The Town of Wellesley paid $3.8M for the 7.85 acre property in 2012 with the idea of using it for recreational purposes. Photo credit: Town of Wellesley Historical Commission.
St. James the Great Church, site demolition, 2015. The church was officially shuttered by the Archdiocese of Boston in 2004 as part of measures to pay costs associated with the church’s many abuse cases. Parishioners, however, maintained a vigil at the church, maintaining occupancy for seven-plus years. Eventually, the Vatican asked the parish to end its vigil, and the St. James later received results of its final appeal, which was that St. James would no longer remain a sanctified church.
Wellesley Sports Center
From there, the Town of Wellesley approved a $3.8M purchase of the 7.85 acre property and started on plans to convert it into a recreation area featuring a pool, ice skating rinks, and playing fields. Here, Edge Sports Group and Dacon Corporation representatives, Town officials, and residents crowd into the tent to hear the opening remarks before the groundbreaking.
Chuck Reilly, Vice President of Business Development at Dacon: “For generations, this site served the needs of the Catholic Church and the families it served. Now for generations to come this site will serve the recreational needs of thousands of residents.”
Wellesley Sports Center
The nearly 102,000 sq. ft. Wellesley Sports Center facility will include 2 National Hockey League-sized ice rinks, competition and training swimming pools, a field house, and a parking lot designed to accommodate more than 350 vehicles. It is expected to be open by this time next year.
The project’s detail-oriented architect, Dennis McCarthy, touted the project’s features: a bus drop-off area; LED lighting designed to avoid light spillage into adjacent sites; rain gardens and other stormwater management solutions; family and team locker rooms that will lead directly to the pools; conference space; and more.
It doesn’t look like much now, but stay tuned as the Wellesley Sports Center rises from the asphalt over the next year.
Wellesley town officials get ready to toss out the first ceremonial shovelsful of dirt. Check out our Instagram to see the video. It’s worth it just to hear the chatter. Remember to follow us on Instagram while you’re there.

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