Anonymous donation boosts Cedar Rapids senior center project

CEDAR RAPIDS — A “transformational” $2 million donation has put a long-awaited senior center project on the fast track near downtown Cedar Rapids.

Horizons on Tuesday announced the anonymous gift, which will support the construction of the Our Place Center for Older Adults at 819 Fifth St. SE. The center will offer a variety of programming for those ages 55 and older with a focus on social, physical and financial health.

Once open, the $5.5 million center will fill a gap left after the destruction of the Witwer Senior Center during the 2008 flood. Construction will begin in February — earlier than initially expected thanks to Tuesday’s donation — with completion anticipated in early 2027.

“This gift moves us from vision to reality,” Horizons CEO Katie Oatsvall said in a press release. “After nearly two decades without a senior center, Cedar Rapids’ older adults will once again have a welcoming place to connect, stay active and thrive.”

The center is expected to take up roughly 13,000 square feet of Horizons’ existing campus within the Oak Hill-Jackson neighborhood. It will include a variety of programming and amenities for older adults, including a large cafe area, activity spaces, movie room and library.

Visitors can attend classes at the center that will range from educational financial sessions to how-to art classes. The site also will sport an in-house fitness studio and outdoor pickleball court to promote physical wellness.

The physical space and its programming both were designed using a mix of community feedback and staff expertise to ensure it best meets the needs of the Linn County community, Horizons Vice President of Development Jim Miller said.

“We saw over 700 folks that gave us their feedback via surveys about what they want, what they need and what they want to happen,” Miller said. “It’s all come together quite nicely, and it just works for the space.”

According to Horizons estimates, nearly 30 percent of Linn County residents will be ages 55 and older by 2030 and will be able to make use of the Our Place center.

The project has steadily grown since it was first announced in the summer of 2024. At that time, Horizons was planning for a $2.5 million, 8,000-square-foot center using a portion of its building previously leased by Covenant Family Solutions.

Miller said the project had an opportunity to grow, however, after additional space opened up earlier this year when the Hawkeye Area Community Action Program relocated its Head Start child care classrooms out of the Horizons building.

The former classrooms will now be renovated into activity rooms, and the old playground will be removed and replaced with an outdoor pickleball court. To help meet parking needs associated with the center, Horizons also has purchased additional property across the street.

“It really has more than doubled in size and scope” since we started, Miller said of the project. “A lot of moving pieces came together to make something much bigger, but we think it’s all going to be very comprehensive.”

Horizons this year has worked to raise money to pay for the project expansion and will continue to do so throughout early 2026. When accounting for the recent $2 million donation, the organization has reached roughly 65 percent of its overall fundraising goal.

Other significant donors to the project include the Hall-Perrine Foundation, Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust and TrueNorth. Additionally, the project is set to receive $200,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds from the Linn County Board of Supervisors.

Comments: grace.nieland@thegazette.com