Our Facility

In 1919, in the center of the town along the Shiawassee River, the Horton's had established and presented to the village of Fenton the Dexter Horton Park, on what had been part of their father's land, and they proposed that the community center be located on adjoining land. Accordingly, on January 20, 1937, the Trustees created a $200,000 trust fund to be used by Fenton to buy and clear the land and build a community house, and any remaining balance to supply income for upkeep. Since clearing the land would involve tearing down the old firemen's hall that contained the city's offices, a new building for the purpose had to be provided, and the Trustees made an additional appropriation of $5,000 toward its construction. The highly prized town clock, of nearly seventy-five years, was to be transferred from the old building to the new City and Fire Hall.

Plans for the Community Center building proceeded. It was designed by Eliel Saarinen, who had designed all of the buildings of the Cranbrook Foundation at Bloomfield Hills, and his son Eero. It was built by the W. E. Wood Company and was landscaped according to the plans of the landscape artist, Mrs. F. W. Whittlesey, of Phoenix, Arizona, daughter of Mr. Horton. The Trustees formally presented the building to the Village of Fenton on the afternoon of October 3, 1938, with president Ruthven addressing the audience of five hundred in the auditorium-ballroom on the second floor.

Because most of the original $200,000 trust fund had been used for the land, building, and landscaping, the Trustees added $100,000 as an endowment for upkeep, and again, on December 2, 1938, added $35,000 to the endowment, along with a gift of $4,425 for intitial expenses. On January 26, 1940, there was a final gift of $10,000 for capital improvements. The total endowment then amounted to $135,000, and outright gifts for land, building, and expenses totaled $219,425.