Cesar Chavez Abilene Recreation Center

The Cesar Chavez Abilene Recreation Center is a new single-story facility located at 2250 Ambler Ave. in Abilene, Texas. The project involved the ground-up construction of a 27,000-square-foot building within the Sears Park Area of Taylor County. The City of Abilene served as the owner of record, with Parkhill listed as the design firm.

Construction was registered with TDLR in November 2024, and plan review was completed that same month. The estimated cost for the project was $12,294,000, equating to approximately $455 per square foot. Construction began in February 2025, and the scheduled completion date on the filing was August 2026.

Project Scale and Cost Context

This new construction project is significantly larger than typical filings in the region. According to TDLR data for Taylor County, the median estimated cost for similar projects is $894,750, and the median size is 6,791 square feet. The Cesar Chavez facility exceeds these medians, placing it in the top quarter for cost among the 537 registered new construction filings in the county. The scheduled build window of 546 days was also longer than the county median of 245 days.

Parkhill, the design firm, has other TDLR-registered projects in Texas, including the Meacham Airport Terminal Building in Fort Worth and the McMurry University Athletic Building in Abilene. The City of Abilene also has other registered projects, such as the Abilene Regional Airport improvements and City Hall renovations. The project involves public funds and public land.

The building passed its final TDLR accessibility inspection in April 2026, confirming that construction is complete. The TDLR status is listed as Inspection Complete. This status reflects the completion of the physical construction and accessibility compliance requirements for the new facility.