Building a Legacy Gallatin Shalom Zone Gym Renovation

To understand the profound impact that a DPR-led community initiative project will have on children and families in a historically disadvantaged section of Gallatin, TN, it helps to know the history. Constructed in 1950 during the era of segregation, the former high school gymnasium restored by DPR was a part of Union High School, the only Black high school in Sumner County.

From the beginning, the school and gymnasium provided a source of unity, pride, and sense of purpose for the surrounding community. Legions of local youth grew up shooting hoops and gathering in the gym, which is credited with keeping many off the streets through the years. In 1970, a federal mandate for school integration saw Union High School graduate its last class, and the school transitioned to serve as an area middle school.

In the mid-1990s, Sumner County deeded the school to Gallatin Shalom Zone, a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening the community by providing resources, programs and services to children, youth, families, and individuals in need. Operating out of the school building since 2008, the organization has delivered an array of services including an after-school enrichment program, summer enrichment camps, Toys for Tots drive, ESL and other adult classes, a hygiene and diaper pantry, and more.

The once bustling gymnasium, however, continued to sit empty and shuttered. Lack of funding caused it to fall into disrepair. Over the years, its floors were burned and windows broken by unauthorized use and occupancy. That was its condition when DPR project manager and regional community initiative champion, Mary Lou Kelly, toured the gymnasium with Gallatin Shalom Zone Executive Director Bethany Sullivan in early 2024. Their goal: to assess what it would take to restore the gym to service and thus enable Gallatin Shalom Zone to expand its impact on the surrounding community.

Since DPR and the DPR Foundation began their partnership and support of the nonprofit in 2021, volunteers from DPR had participated in smaller facility improvement projects at the school. The possibility of taking on a much larger and more complex renovation project generated a lot of excitement and interest, especially a facility that is so deeply interwoven in the fabric of the community.

And no one was more suited to get the ball rolling than Mary Lou Kelly, who has a well-deserved reputation for getting things done.

“I can’t say enough about Mary Lou,” commented Sullivan. “She is such an incredible asset to the local community and has this amazing ability to just power a team and get folks excited to get on board with projects, even when they are completely crazy ones like renovating a 75-year-old gymnasium!”

An initial financial gift paid for structural assessments and inspections to determine the gym’s condition and the best approach—but the heavy lifting followed. As project lead, Kelly galvanized an army of volunteers and an impressive number of trade partners--14 in all—to donate time and materials totaling over $600,000 in market rate cost to transform the old gymnasium. Work components included all new lighting, conduits, electrical service and ductwork to support new mechanical and HVAC systems, new concrete floor, roof improvements, fresh paint, and more.

DPR trade partners that participated included Rosendin Electric (electrical), Harris (mechanical), Cherry Coatings (painting), Porter Roofing (roofing), Sunbelt Rentals, Rockwood Solutions, OES, and five DPR SPW divisions: DPR DFH, DPR DW, DPR Div 7, DPR Concrete, and DPR VDC. Additionally, the Gallatin Codes Department donated all permitting fees and inspections.

The project officially kicked off during “Service September” last year. An estimated 100 volunteers showed up to perform hands-on work over multiple days. Final touches were being done right up until its grand opening on February 22, 2025, when Gallatin Shalom Zone welcomed guests to its annual community “Sneaker Ball” benefit event in the new space.

Throughout the project, many heartwarming stories emerged from locals with personal ties to the old gymnasium. Case in point was a random encounter that Kelly had with an Uber driver who was giving her a ride to the airport. “When he found out that we were renovating this gymnasium, he told me ‘Oh my gosh that place saved my life – you wouldn’t believe the hours I spent there! It kept me off the streets,’” she recalled.

In the coming months and years, Sullivan said Gallatin Shalom Zone hopes to be able to have that same impact on the next generation of youth as the new gym allows them to expand their service offerings and programming. Goals include potentially doubling the number of youths enrolled in both their after-school program (currently 32) and summer enrichment program (currently 55).

They plan to add new recreation leagues for local youth including basketball, pickleball and volleyball. “It’s a way to get kids off the street and get them involved in sports and physical activity that maybe they couldn’t afford to do or get to before,” Sullivan said. Additionally, Gallatin Shalom Zone will now be able to continue their after-school program year-round, instead of closing each November and December due to space needs for the Toys for Tots drive.

These and other service options, combined with the energetic participation of the many people who brought it to fruition, are what have made this project so special and well received in the community, according to Sullivan.

“The response has been tremendous,” she said. “It’s just really special to a lot of folks, whether former alumni, local residents who’ve been around forever or even new folks who have moved to Gallatin and don’t know the history of the building, to see this historic gymnasium that was abandoned and neglected and dark and sad, and then see what has been reimagined.”

For DPR, the project exemplifies a community initiative vision that calls for building possibilities for the under-resourced and leaving an enduring legacy in the communities in which it works.

“It has been heartwarming to see the number of people and companies involved with this project and everything that has contributed to making it a success,” Kelly concluded. “It really was a community effort in every sense of that word. And it’s one that will be hard to top.”