Samuel V. Arroyo Recreational Center

The Samuel V. Arroyo Recreational Center, also known as the Pope Park Recreational Center houses a gymnasium, weight lifting room, pool, game room, and kitchen. The center can be rented out and has been used as a venue for city-wide events in the past, but most of the time it serves as a space for the youth of Frog Hollow to hang out, exercise, and learn.

Construction on the recreation center was completed in November of 1996, but it took years to get to that point. The project had first been proposed over five years earlier with the goal of providing Frog Hollow children with a safe space in which to spend their free time. Parents worried about gang violence and drug use, so they advocated for the center. From the start, the project was spearheaded by community members who worked with city hall to allocate funding. The building was designed by architect James Vance, and was named after Samuel Valentin Arroyo, a 22 year-old who was killed in a drive-by shooting two years prior to the 1995 naming resolution.

Mason, Johnny Jr. "OFF THE STREET FROG HOLLOW PARENTS WANTED A PLACE FOR THEIR KIDS, SO THEY FOUGHT FOR AND GOT THE $5 MILLION POPE PARK RECREATIONAL CENTER: [7 HARTFORD NORTH FINAL EDITION]." Hartford Courant, Feb 23 1997, ProQuest. Web. 13 Mar. 2022 .