From 1989 until this spring, the Buffalo Area Community Center operated out of 206 Central Avenue downtown, in a building that went up in the 1950s as an American Legion post. It now sits at 114 Commerce Circle off north Highway 25. The new building was planned around a different idea of who a community center serves. Much of what it was built for indoors makes the most sense in cold weather, and the outdoor additions that would round it out are still mostly in planning, with the splash pad aimed at 2027. That makes this winter the first full season the new building will get to show what it can do.
Why the Center Moved Off Central Avenue
The old building had a good run. According to The Drummer's February 2026 report, limited space and ongoing maintenance were what pushed the city to look for something new. The city's project StoryMap lists the options it weighed over the years, including the Wright County government center, the downtown movie theatre and a renovation of the existing building. Each one ran into space limits or cost.
The answer turned out to be a former PenRad Technologies building on Commerce Circle. The City Council found out about the property in spring 2024 and approved the purchase that November. Construction started September 22, 2025. The center had a soft opening on Monday, May 4, 2026, and the Buffalo Lions handed out free root beer floats from 1 to 3 p.m. The grand opening followed on June 9 with tours, a bounce house, food trucks and vendors.
On July 13, demolition crews started taking down the Central Avenue building. Mykelti Blum of the City of Buffalo told KRWC that the move brought "a lot of emotions" for people who had spent years in that building. She also said what comes next for the lot hasn't been decided. "Right now it's just going to be grass space," she said.
The Old Center and the New One, Side by Side
The new building isn't just a bigger copy of the old one. The city designed it to do jobs the downtown building couldn't.
| 206 Central Avenue | 114 Commerce Circle | |
|---|---|---|
| Years in use | 1989 to spring 2026 | Opened May 2026 |
| Original purpose | American Legion post, 1950s | Former PenRad Technologies building |
| Status today | Demolished starting July 2026, lot left as grass | Open, with outdoor work planned in phases |
| Planned outdoor space | None described | Walking trail, basketball court, garden, nature play area, splash pad |
The city's own list of reasons for the move includes more space, natural light, more accessible restrooms, more parking, better security and room for programs the old building couldn't hold. The first phase of work added an elevator, more building exits, a new 40-stall parking lot and a youth play area.
Built for Everyone, Including Kids in January
That youth play area says a lot about the thinking behind the project. Before the opening, a member of the Community Center Advisory Board told The Drummer that one of the biggest changes was moving past the idea that the downtown building was "just a senior center." The new space is meant for people of all ages, while still being mindful of seniors.
Here is what the building holds, according to center manager Adam Leiferman's walkthrough with The Drummer:
- An indoor play area for children, which the paper described as a place for kids "to burn off energy during cold winter months"
- A movie room with a 100-inch screen, sound-dampening walls and comfortable seating
- An activities room with three pool tables and an arcade-style Pac-Man
- Study spaces and quiet rooms where students can do homework and group projects
- Laptops visitors can check out and use anywhere in the building
- A private telehealth room, with help available for anyone who needs it with the technology
- A multipurpose room with plenty of natural light, planned for painting, sewing, sculpting and other art
- A large open gathering area with booth seating for about 60 people, plus a microphone system that carries sound into nearby rooms
The building also received donated podcast equipment. Leiferman said Wright Technical Center students who need volunteer hours plan to visit regularly, under staff supervision, to offer health checks such as blood pressure screenings.
It's free to get in. "We want everyone to have a membership so we can track how the space is used," Leiferman said, "but there will be no fee to come in and enjoy the facility." We couldn't find posted operating hours or set drop-in times for the play area and game room. Calling the center before a first visit is the safest bet.
What the October Calendar Actually Shows
The building was designed for every age group. The weekly schedule posted so far is made up mostly of programs that would have been familiar on Central Avenue. On Wednesday, October 7, the city calendar lists five events at 114 Commerce Circle. One is an AA meeting from 7 to 8 p.m. The four daytime events are:
- Writer's Group, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
- Cribbage, 10 a.m. to noon
- Chair Exercise Class, 1 to 1:30 p.m.
- Pinochle, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
The rest of the week brings Walking Club, Weavers, Zingo, a Hand & Foot game and the Golden Aires Choir. The following week adds Mahjong, Euchre, a Knitting & Crochet Group and 500, the card game. We found no separate youth or teen schedule. The kid-focused parts of the building, like the play area, game room and study rooms, seem to work on a show-up basis instead of a set schedule.
That makes sense for where the center is right now. The longtime groups came along with the move. Meanwhile, the spaces meant for families with young kids and for students don't need a class to be useful. A play area built for winter will get its real test between now and March. Blum described the summer this way: "the new Buffalo Community Center that has just been thriving let me tell you. People have just been loving it and all the programs for all ages that are taking place there."
One tip if you check the calendar: at least one listing still shows the old 206 Central Avenue address. Everything else points to Commerce Circle, and so does the building in front of you.
The Outdoor Half Is Still Mostly a Plan
The parts of the plan meant for warm weather are still ahead. The city's site plan for the grounds around the building calls for a paved walking trail, a basketball court, community garden space, a nature play area and a splash pad. As of the city's June update, the court, nature play area and garden beds were in early planning, with initial work hoped to begin in the spring.
Money is part of why the work is happening in stages. After the purchase, architectural fees and construction manager fees, about $1.2 million was left for renovations. The full list of improvements the city wants tops $2 million, so the work will come in phases. The city says sponsorships and room naming have helped Phase 1, and it is still taking donations for upgrades to the lower-level serving kitchen.
The splash pad has its own backstory. The splash pad is planned as a free, public splash pad, backed by a grassroots fundraising effort. The city first secured a DNR grant to build it at West Pulaski Park. A required archaeological dig there turned up Native American artifacts, and work at that site couldn't continue. The same grant was then awarded for the community center site across the street. In May 2026, the group brought its first $100,000 payment to the City Council and received a memorandum of understanding on the splash pad's name.
The timeline is still moving. The group's site says groundbreaking was set for July 2026 and that it hopes to see "splashers in spring 2027." The city's StoryMap had construction starting in spring 2026 and an opening sometime in 2027. We found no public confirmation that ground was broken this summer. For now, the best way to describe it is planned for 2027. Fundraising is still going.
Where the Center Fits in Buffalo's Holiday Calendar
The center isn't the only place in town with something going on as the weather turns. Buffalo's downtown and citywide business Trick or Treat runs October 31 from 2 to 4 p.m., according to the Buffalo Chamber of Commerce. The Wright County Historical Society's free Festival of Trees runs December 1, 2026, through January 2, 2027, per Explore Minnesota's listing. Deck the Halls comes to Sturges Park on December 5 from 3 to 5 p.m., with Santa, carolers, wagon rides and a tree lighting at 3:30.
All of those happen outdoors or downtown, and each lasts an afternoon or a few weeks. The center on Commerce Circle is open on regular days in between, with a heated play area and a weekly card game schedule that goes all winter.
At Zachman Realty Group, we like keeping track of places like this because they shape what a regular Tuesday in Buffalo looks like. If you have questions about Buffalo or nearby Wright County communities, give us a call. Move Forward With Confidence.
