Concord’s City Wide Community Center: What's new is old (And Great)
Concord’s City Wide Community Center opened in June 2018, after many years of research, planning, and a year of construction.
The “new” Harriet P. Dame School, which opened at the site in 1942, replaced a 1904 four-room school house of the same name. Both facilities were named for Concord resident Harriet Patience Dame, a battlefield nurse and Civil War hero. To accommodate the baby-boomer generation, the school underwent several additions from 1953 until 1965.
Many people who went to school at the Dame School have returned to visit “their” school, which has changed but still contains some of its original character. The current structure utilizes 13,817 square feet of the former school building and has 16,926 square feet of new construction.
Recognizing the community’s affection for the former elementary school which once occupied this site, as well as the heroic contributions of its namesake, the City of Concord has proudly named the Center’s auditorium in honor of Harriet Patience Dame.
In addition to the auditorium, the City Wide Community Center includes the Concord Parks and Recreation Department’s offices, a part-time Heights Branch of the Concord Public Library, a high school gymnasium, locker rooms, five multi-purpose program rooms, two group exercise rooms, a Senior Lounge, a teaching and prep kitchen off of the auditorium, and exterior patios. It is also located adjacent to Keach Park which offers field space for leagues, a lighted basketball and tennis court, and an outdoor pool open in the summer months. The park will also feature a half-mile walking path around the perimeter of the park that will be finished spring of 2019.
The new center is open year round and it is home for the department’s numerous youth camps during the summer months. Adults can also use the Center as well through drop-in sports and exercise classes, or by signing up for one of Concord Parks and Rec’s adult programs, which have included foreign languages, art, music, cooking, yoga, fitness, and more. Many of the Center’s amenities are open to residents of the greater Concord area; you do not need to live in Concord to take advantage of its offerings.
The new community center is also available for rent and is an ideal location for business meetings, lectures and family parties. The center offers several rooms with AV equipment and free Wi-Fiaccess throughout the building.
For more information about the City Wide Community Center, visit www.concordparksandrec.com or stop by the facility at 14 Canterbury Road, Concord.
