NCAA donates $100K for renovations at historic Third Ward basketball court
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- In just a matter of weeks, Houston will become the center of the college basketball universe with the NCAA's Final Four coming to town.
And while a lot of money will be spent over that weekend, the NCAA is also giving a major gift to a Houston community center.
The historic Blue Triangle Center has been a significant force in the Third Ward for decades.
The building suffered major damage during Hurricane Harvey, but much of it has been repaired.
The NCAA is giving them $100,000 in renovations to upgrade their basketball court.
It's part of the league's commitment to leave a legacy. Blue Triangle was one of 17 nominees, and Rachel Quan, with the organizing committee for the NCAA Final Four, says the choice was easy.
"Oh my goodness, the history here is amazing, as you know," she said. "I think they just really realized what a huge difference a brand new basketball court would make in this community."
The center's Executive Director Charlotte Bryant said it's what she prayed for.
"I promise you it's nothing but God's blessing. I'm so appreciative of out of 17 that they chose us, and I'm so glad," Bryant said.
Blue Triangle was created in 1919, moving to different locations for years. Then it became part of the YWCA in segregated Houston. The Y paid for black members to meet separately from its white members. Until a group of women decided to buy their own property.
"The year that I graduated high school in 1948, 10 women that looked like you and me purchased this property for $1,000. $1,000 was a lot of money during those days," Bryant said.
Bryant was only 12 years old when she joined Blue Triangle, like many other Third Ward families, when it was still a branch of the YWCA. But when the Y decided to close and sell the building in the 1990s, she said, "I thought, how can we let that place be sold? Because it has too much tradition and too much history. We can't do that."
She was part of a group who tried to raise the money to buy it before realizing they had a secret weapon. A mural in the center, painted on one of the walls in the 1950s by acclaimed Houston artist Dr. John Biggers, was now valued at $1.3 million. So, the Y made a surprising decision.
Their attorneys advised them to give away the building.
"So for $1, we got the place," Bryant said.
But getting the building and struggling to pay for it were two different things, and Bryant has worked hard to keep up the center for about 23 years.
Then Hurricane Harvey hit.
"The four days of Rain during Harvey actually devastated this place. I was overwhelmed, and the first thing I started doing was praying again. What are we going to do? We had worked so hard to put things back in place," Bryant said.
The government of Qatar helped repair much of the building, including the indoor pool. And the Museum of Fine Arts helped restore the damaged mural. But the basketball court still needed work. And that's when the NCAA stepped in by selecting Blue Triangle for its legacy award.
"The Community Center had already been doing amazing things through so many years, decades, and they wanted to make sure that they continued to be able to offer great programming," Quan said.
Quan describes what the center will be getting as part of the renovations as "completely new floors, new backboards, and new rims."
Marie Arcos knows what a difference this gift will make. The Northside YMCA she headed up for more than a decade got a similar gift in 2011.
"It has allowed us to double the membership, expand our programming, and really deeply impact the lives of children and families in that community," she said.
The Boys and Girls Club in the Sunnyside community called it a "game changer." They closed their center for renovations.
"It was a huge unveiling coming back, and the young people were in tears. They were amazed, the staff was amazed, the families were amazed because it really gave us a facelift," Zenae Campbell said.
She believes "it gave a new hope to the club and the community."
But back to Blue Triangle. From looking at her, you wouldn't know that Bryant is 92 years old, still running the center every day.
"She's one of the most incredible women I think any of us have ever met. She's just got a light about her," Quan said.
When asked much longer she thinks she'll stay here at the center, Bryant has a ready response, "I have a sister that's 107, and I don't think I'll be here that long, but I promise you when I leave, I wanted things to be able to be built on what I've started."
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