Raleigh park design adds sheltered pickleball courts for year-round play

Raleigh’s Baileywick Park pavilion is being built to keep public play going when weather shuts down ordinary outdoor courts. Two large courts inside the open-air structure can work as a single basketball court or as three pickleball courts each, giving North Raleigh a flexible setup for rain, blazing summer heat and the daily churn of amateur play.

The project sits inside the 50-acre park and is funded by the 2014 Parks Bond Referendum. The broader improvements also include a dog park, expanded parking, landscape enhancements, restroom renovations and a stormwater quality device. The pavilion itself was designed with a ramp-and-stair seating area, a stramp, so spectators and players waiting for court time have a place to gather without crowding the action.

The shelter is lifted on twelve columns and partly sunk into the sloping site to reduce its visual bulk. Its translucent skin is built to bring in daylight by day and glow after dark. The same space has already been used for roller sports, markets and dance.

Raleigh’s original master plan dates to 1998, and City Council adopted the amended master plan and schematic design on August 20, 2019 after public workshops and a community preference survey. City records put completion in April 2024, and residents were still seeing the finished-looking pavilion fenced off in March 2024 while Muter Construction blamed supply-chain issues and utility relocation delays.

Raleigh Parks has indoor and outdoor play, reservable courts and rules aligned with USA Pickleball’s code of conduct. USA Pickleball’s 2025 Annual Growth Report puts Pickleheads at more than 2,300 new locations in 2025, bringing the nationwide total to 18,258 locations and 82,613 known courts. Baileywick Park’s improvements also earned a 2026 AIA Triangle Large Projects Honor Award.