At 6 a.m. on a weekday, the gymnasium at 93-29 Queens Boulevard is split down the middle. Side A has adult open basketball and Side B has adult open table tennis. By 10:30 the floor belongs to pickleball or badminton. After school it passes to teenagers, and at night adults get it back for one sport chosen for that night.
That rotation is the most useful thing to know about Lost Battalion Hall Recreation Center, which reopened in Rego Park on Friday, October 9, after a four-year, $25.9 million reconstruction, QNS reported. The building has one gymnasium, and the schedule decides who can use it at any given hour.
An 87-Year-Old Hall With a Long Rebuild
The Works Progress Administration built the hall between 1938 and 1939 for veterans' groups, including the Queens Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion. It is named for the U.S. Army's 77th Division and its service in the Battle of the Argonne during the First World War. In the 1960s the Parks Department took it over and turned it into a recreation center. The New York Knicks used it as an auxiliary practice facility, and former NBA player Kenny "the Jet" Smith is among the players who developed there, according to QNS.
The work to modernize it began long before the 2022 closure. On the city's capital project tracker, design was assigned in October 2017 and finished in April 2020. Procurement ran until March 2022. Construction started in July 2022 with a projected finish of January 2024 and was marked complete in July 2026, about 30 months later than projected. The tracker notes that the dates changed but does not say why. It also says public setup happens only after construction is complete and the Department of Buildings has signed off.
People nearby were waiting for it. In August, the Forest Hills Times put "When is Lost Battalion Hall Recreation Center reopening?" on its list of residents' top questions. At that point construction was finished and the center was waiting on Parks' setup. Council Member James Gennaro told QNS the reopening was "a long time coming" and called the hall "a staple in Queens for 87 years."
What Four Years Bought
Much of the work is behind the walls. QNS lists a new fire alarm and sprinkler system, a rooftop generator, a new waterline, new water heaters, and new heating and cooling. Members will notice the new lobby, the new front doors, the rebuilt staircases, and an added staircase on the east side of the building. Every floor now has accessible bathrooms, and the lockers and storage areas were upgraded. Patch's account also lists the refurbished fitness areas, exercise equipment and basketball court.
NYC Parks lists these spaces inside:
- One gymnasium with one indoor basketball court and two indoor volleyball courts
- Two fitness rooms
- One cycling studio
- Four multipurpose rooms
- One media lab
Two volleyball courts and a basketball court share one gymnasium. That is why the day is divided by sport.
The Gym Floor, Hour by Hour
Building hours are 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday. The building is closed on Sunday. This is the gymnasium schedule NYC Parks posted for the week of October 12 to 18:
| Day | 6 to 10 a.m. | Midday | Late afternoon | Evening |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Adult basketball and table tennis | Adult pickleball, 10:30 to 2 | Teen badminton, 5 to 7 | Adult pickleball, 7 to 8:45 |
| Tuesday | Adult basketball | Adult badminton, 10:30 to 2 | Teen volleyball, 5 to 7 | Adult table tennis, 7:15 to 8:45 |
| Wednesday | Adult table tennis | Adult pickleball, 10:30 to 2 | Teen basketball, 4 to 7 | Adult table tennis, 7:15 to 8:45 |
| Thursday | Adult basketball | Adult badminton, 10:30 to 2 | Teen volleyball, 5 to 6:30 | Adult basketball, 6:45 to 8:45 |
| Friday | Adult basketball and table tennis | Adult pickleball, 10:30 to 2 | Teen basketball, 2:30 to 5; teen badminton, 5 to 7 | Family badminton, 7 to 8:45 |
| Saturday | Youth Sports Club, 9 to 11 | Family Time, 11 to 1; adult table tennis, 1:30 to 3:45 | Saturday Night Lights, 4 to 9 | Saturday Night Lights |
| Sunday | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed |
None of the open sessions require registration, but all of them require a membership. The adult sessions are for members 18 and up, and the teen sessions are for ages 13 to 17.
Who Gets Which Hours
The grid shows clear patterns. Pickleball gets three midday blocks, Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., plus Monday evening. Badminton gets the same midday block on Tuesday and Thursday. Anyone free in the middle of a weekday can play one of those two sports every day.
Adults who work standard hours have less choice. In the posted week, adult basketball has four early-morning blocks, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 6 to 10, and one evening block, Thursday from 6:45 to 8:45. Adult table tennis gets Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. On Friday evening the floor is reserved for family badminton, which the schedule describes as a session for parents or guardians to bring their children.
Teens have the gym from late afternoon until about 7 on weekdays, and they have Saturday night too. Saturday Night Lights runs from 4 to 9 p.m. for members ages 12 to 19, with a different sport each week: basketball on October 17, volleyball on October 24, badminton on October 31, and basketball again on November 7. Participants need a lock, and a parent or guardian has to be there in person to register anyone under 16.
NYC Parks runs programs in quarterly cycles: January to March, April to June, July to September, and October to December. The center reopened at the start of the October cycle, so this grid is a representative week. It is not fixed for the season. The live schedule on the center's NYC Parks page is the one to check before you go.
The Rooms That Don't Rotate
Away from the gym floor, schedules depend less on the clock. The fitness rooms are open for Open Access Fitness from 6 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. They are for members 16 and up, and the posted note asks members to bring a lock.
Classes are short and drop-in. Instructor Chandra Stone leads Rhythm Ride, a 30-minute indoor cycling class in the spin room that runs at several times during the week, including late morning and early afternoon on Wednesday and Saturday. She also teaches Powerhouse Fitness, a bodyweight class in the basement multi-use room, and NYC Parks Chair Aerobics, which the schedule lists for beginners, several times on Wednesday and Thursday. A collage workshop runs Friday from 10 a.m. to noon with supplies provided.
For younger children, After School Youth Recreation runs most weekday afternoons in Classroom A for ages 6 to 12, with sports, board games and group games. On Saturday mornings, the Youth Sports Club teaches a different featured sport each week. Family Time from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. opens the gym to members of every age for basketball, badminton, chess or Connect 4.
Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura linked the timing of the reopening to the season. "When it's the winter months, we look for rec centers to give us opportunities to be playing indoors," she said at the ribbon-cutting, according to QNS.
What a Membership Costs
The price is easy to underestimate, especially next to a private gym. These are the tiers on NYC Parks' membership page:
- Adults 25 through 61: $150 a year or $75 for six months for all centers. Centers without an indoor pool cost $100 a year or $50 for six months.
- Seniors 62 and over, people with disabilities, and veterans: $25 a year for all centers.
- Young adults 18 through 24 and youth under 18: free, with access to all centers.
- IDNYC holders ages 25 to 61: 10 percent off adult memberships.
QNS described free access for members' children up to age 24. The official rate page lists free individual memberships for everyone under 25 and says nothing about a parent needing to be a member. The amenity list for Lost Battalion Hall does not include an indoor pool. The $150 all-center tier also covers recreation centers across the city. Some instructor-led courses, such as aerobics, martial arts, music or yoga, may charge separate session fees.
Because of the price, the schedule matters more than the fee. For $25, a member who is 62 can play badminton every Tuesday and Thursday from 10:30 to 2 and take chair aerobics in the basement. A 30-year-old paying $150 who wants evening basketball has one Thursday block in the current week, plus four early mornings.
The center is at 93-29 Queens Boulevard, and the phone number is (718) 520-5310.
A rebuilt community anchor like Lost Battalion Hall is the kind of detail that shapes how a Rego Park or Forest Hills address feels day to day. At Panache Real Estate, we follow these changes block by block. If you'd like to know how your home's value reflects what's around it this season, request your free home valuation.
