It wasn’t a very pleasant day to show it off but residents, community leaders, and city officials made do Sunday with a ceremony inside the Central District’s Garfield Community Center to celebrate its new outdoor “living room.”

The Community Living Room was conceived as a gathering space for the neighborhood and features barbecues, benches, a large picnic table, game tables, a beautiful seating stone, and a large flexible space for events. When the doors are open to the Garfield Community Center gym and multipurpose room, the indoor and outdoor spaces will connect and provide a new welcoming space for the community.

The Community Living Room is located on the south side of the Garfield Community Center, 2323 E Cherry St, a 1.5-mile walk from Cal Anderson if you’re in the mood for a visit.

The $83,000 project was powered by the city’s Neighborhood Park and Street Fund and will hopefully go a small way toward making up for some of the pains the area has endured — and will further endure — as the multi-year, multi-phase overhaul of the 23rd Ave corridor’s streetscape, transit, pedestrian, and cycling features is completed.

You can learn more about the Neighborhood Park and Street Fund at seattle.gov.