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In October 1923, an "unknown donor" offered what eventually became $250,000 to
build a community center in Moorestown. The unknown donor was Eldridge Reeves
Johnson.
Born in Wilmington, Delaware in 1867, he attended the Spring Garden Institute in
Philadelphia then apprenticed in a machine shop in the city. His first business
was a machine shop in Camden. His first product was an automatic bookbinder.
According to Johnson, he became interested in the product that would make his
fortune when a broken-down talking machine was brought into his shop for
repair. Johnson said that at that point he saw a great business opportunity and
became so excited he broke out with "talking machine fever."
The "fever" expressed itself in innovations improving the recording process and
the Victrola itself. In 1901, Johnson formed a new corporation - the Victor
Talking Machine Company. He and his new corporate partners felt they needed a
special trademark for their products. That trademark became known around the
world. It was a dog, a fox terrier, with its head tilted toward a gramophone
and a caption that read "His Masters Voice".
Twenty-five years later, Victor Talking Machine Company had expanded from its
small one-story shop to become one of New Jersey's premier industries occupying
six city blocks in Camden. In 1926, Johnson sold his interests in the company
to Radio Corporation of America for a reported 40 million dollars.
His home on Moorestown's Main Street was called "The Towers". Originally the
home of Samuel Allen (inventor of the Flexible Flyer sled), it is now the
Lutheran Home.
In 1923, while living in "The Towers", Johnson was approached by Mabel d'Olier
of the Moorestown Woman's Club. She was looking for land and financing to build
a community center. Mr. Johnson agreed to donate the funds necessary to build
the facility their interest by creating a "permanent maintenance fund" for
building operations. Within eight months, more than $106,000 was raised in a
town-wide fund drive. Donations came from 740 individuals, 500 school children,
and dozens of local civic and fraternal organizations.
At the time, it was felt that the income from an endowment fund of $117,000
would be adequate to cover three-quarters of the facility's projected $8,000
annual operating budget.
The cost of maintaining the structure was a key consideration in the
architectural style of the building. When some townspeople questioned why the
building wasn't colonial in design, the architects sent a letter of explanation
to the local newspaper. They said that the building was actually a combination
of English and Colonial styles, and that the cheif advantage of their design
was that the building's maintenance and upkeep would "cost practically nothing
because of its brick and stone exterior. If, on the other hand, it were
Colonial in style, the windows, shutters, cornices and columns would have to be
made out of wood. And wood rots and constantly has to be replaced."
The site for the new Community House would be right in the center of town, on a
three- acre property owned by Mary Sumner on East Main Street. The house on the
property was one of the oldest in Moorestown, dating back to about 1786. It was
originally a summer residence for a Philadelphia businessman and his family.
Along with a barn and a pig pen, the grounds featured a formal English garden
with flowering shrubs and low-cut boxwood bushes.
In December 1924, the Sumner Home was demolished and construction of the
Community House began. The Community House officially opened its doors to the
public on April 11, 1926, with a week-long series of events including Community
Players Night with selections by the Moorestown Orchestra, a Teenage Tea for
the girls of Moorestown, a concert by the Moorestown Community Chorus, and an
exhibition match by the University of Pennsylvania Wrestling Team.
In 1931, an addition was added that includes what is now the room next to the
Gym, which we call the Garden Room. The lobby area was remodeled in 1993 to
allow disabled individuals access to the meeting rooms on the first floor.
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