The property for the Virginia Marie Granados Community Center and Park was donated to the City of San Antonio by the Granados family in 2003. The center is named in memory of Virginia Marie Granados. A native San Antonian, Mrs. Granados lived just one mile north of the center and park. She passed away in 1990. Her youngest son Mark purchased the property in 2000 and donated the home formerly owned by the Gillespie family and the surrounding five-acre property to the City of San Antonio.
Mrs. Granados began her career as a San Antonio Police Officer, but after starting a family, transitioned into the field of education. She served as a secretary for Whittier Middle School, Lee High School and the San Antonio Independent School District’s Central Office. Her husband Mariano, a retired U.S. Marshal, passed away in September 2012. They are survived by sons Michael, Steven and Mark, and six grandchildren.
In 2008, the Parks and Recreation Department, along with District 1 City Councilwoman Mary Alice Cisneros, celebrated the groundbreaking for the renovation of the existing home as an adult and senior citizen activity center.
This project consisted of the rehabilitation of an existing structure on the park property for use as an adult and senior activity center with associated site improvements to include a park entry driveway, parking and connecting sidewalks. The renovations included a meeting/multi-purpose room, food preparation area, classrooms, small meeting/activity room, exercise room, accessible restrooms, and staff offices/reception area.
The project, funded with $1,465,346 in Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 108 Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and 2007 reprogrammed CDBG, was completed in January 2009 and the center opened for business.