We Need Your Vote!

It's the fifth year of the WRAL.com Voter's Choice Awards and W.D. Hill Recreation Center and Hillside Park have been chosen as finalists! This competition celebrates and honors the local favorite in categories such as businesses, parks, and restaurants in the Triangle!

From now until December 1, voting is open to the public to vote for their favorites! W.D. Hill Recreation Center/Hillside Park is under the 'Community > Park' category competing against several other awesome parks including Pullen Park and William B Umstead Park. Community members are eligible to vote once per day per email address that is registered with WRAL. Once voting closes on December 1, all votes will be tallied and winners will be announced.

We need your help to win! Here's the link to vote for W.D. Hill Recreation Center/Hillside Park.

History of W.D. Hill Recreation Center

The recreation center is named after William Daniel Hill (1890-1945), better known by his initials "W.D." Hill was an executive of North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Co. and the prime mover in that firm's projects to serve Durham's African American youth. Working with John H. Wheeler of Mechanics and Farmers Bank, Hill lobbied for and won a USO Club for black GIs in Durham. After the war (WWII), the club was reorganized in Hill's memory as the W.D. Hill Community Center. (Museum of Durham History website)

On Thursday, August 15, 2019, a North Carolina Historical Marker was permanently added outside of the W.D. Hill Recreation Center to recognize the Algonquin Tennis Club. During the 1930s through the 1960s tennis greats Arthur Ashe, Althea Gibson, Johns Lucas, Bonnie Logan, Joe Williams, and Irwin Holmes played at the tennis club. The Algonquin Tennis Club gave African-American residents a place to gather to not only play tennis, but as a space for dances, receptions, card games, dinners, and more.

Today, W.D. Hill Recreation Center is a short bike ride from downtown, and connects to Hillside Park which boasts a Futsal court, playground, basketball courts, baseball fields, picnic tables, picnic shelter, sprayground and more. And if you haven't heard, Hillside Park just went through beautiful renovations featuring three new outdoor basketball courts, which was all thanks to the Tamia & Grant Hill Foundation and FILA USA.

Cast your vote today!