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First Look At The Design For New $10 Million Shelter In Century
August 4, 2026
We are getting a first look at the design for a new multimillion dollar community shelter in Century.
The Town of Century was awarded $10 million Florida Department of Commerce’s Rebuild Florida grant to turn the old Century High School gym property into a multipurpose facility that will also serve as a shelter during hurricanes or other disasters. Grant management was later redirected from the town to Escambia County.
The project has reached the 30% plan status showing the overall size, shape, orientation, and functional layout of the building, which retains the basic structure of the old gym and expands it. Plans show several new additions, including a large main lobby, an 812 square foot computer lab, two multipurpose rooms about 900 square foot each, a kitchen, two locker rooms, and offices and small flexible spaces. The structure will feature the complete rehabilitation of the gymnasium.
For more design images, and October 2025 photos of the Century High gym and property, click here.
Built in 1960 out of steel, concrete, and solid brick, the former Century High Blackcats gym has spent years being ravaged by time and vandals. Despite heavy interior damage, officials note the building remains remarkably resilient.
“It has good bones,” Century Mayor Ben Boutwell noted during a walkthrough last year. “With a steel frame and solid brick and concrete construction, it will make a good shelter.”
The remnants of the Century Kayo Stanton Football Stadium behind the gym will be demolished for safety reasons. The stadium was heavily damaged in an EF-3 tornado that struck Century on February 15, 2016. Century High School was closed and merged with Ernest Ward High School into the present-day Northview High School, which opened in 1995.
A timetable for finals plans and construction is not yet available.
Pictured: A first look at the design plants for a new community shelter in Century, building upon the structure of the former Century High School gym. Below are are photos of the gym from October 2025. Images for NorthEscambia.com, NorthEscambia.com photos.
Comments
12 Responses to “First Look At The Design For New $10 Million Shelter In Century”
A hurricane shelter with a 2,500 sq ft wall of glass and roof that wont come down until it gets to Uriah.
Hey, Mayor, how about shaving off the speed bumps in that neighborhood that are knocking the bottoms out of our cars!
People who build glass shelters shouldn’t throw stones…
REGARDING:
“Old high school just needed to be updated a bit …its withstood a lot of storms …still standing”
Actually, the old high school building is gone.
For a facility that size, I’d say minimum $10k per month for utilities. Liability insurance, what’s that going to be? How much is going on in Century to need that much “multi purpose” room? And the height….seriously, who’s going to change those light bulbs and wash those upper windows? I imagine Red Cross will say “NO” to it being an approved hurricane shelter with all that glass. And how many cots will the old gym hold…not very many. Maintenance costs…? Cha-Ching$, cha-ching$. Whatever your estimate is….you might want to double that.
Oh, it’s pretty, but pretty and pricey go hand in hand.
Looks like your architect got carried away with a $10 million dream project.
And, what projects doesn’t ALWAYS go over budget? Not many.
How will it be heated/cooled….a chiller? What’s the replacement cost for that?
Oh, I can’t think anymore about all the danger signs that are going on in my mind.
You can build it, but operating it and maintaining it are different stories.
Seems like an extreme amount of money. I don’t see 10 million anywhere in the plans.
All the old building needs is a strong roof hurricane strength windows.
We need all the roads fixed and the town cleaned up before we need a multi million dollar center that will look like the rest of the town in a few years. Who is going to do all of the upkeep on this? PLEASE FIX THE ROADS! We look like we are driving drunk trying to dodge pot holes on Jefferson and some of the other roads in the area. They paved the roads in the run down areas years back but didn’t pave the roads on the streets where people actually care and try to keep up their area! Just sayin! Get it together! The town is run down and embarrassing!
I know they are trying to think about the Hurricanes but why build a shelter when the town needs so much more repairs. I wonder if this money will disappear like the rest !It’s ridiculous how money disappears but hopefully they will do right with this .
Old high school just needed to be updated a bit …its withstood alot of storms …still standing
Has the architect ever been through a hurricane?
And he’s gonna call this a shelter? Glass everywhere.
I hope those are Hurricane force windows.
The design looks awesome. and i hope there is in the budget a state-of-the-art security system. The beautiful Jay park was tagged the first week.
In ten years after it’s built will look like the old building in the article HAHAHA! Bet me.
All of those big plate glass windows for something that’s supposed to be a hurricane shelter?