Westfield Community Center

An often overlooked treasure in town is the Westfield Community Center located at 558 West Broad Street. The Center has been an important and vital part of Westfield since 1935. It was formed after a group of prominent citizens – members of the Avalonte and the Mindowaskin Clubs – cooperated with the National Youth Administration to provide social and recreational activities for young people in Union County towns and started the Toy Lending Library. In addition to collecting, repairing, and lending toys to children, the library offered a full-scale recreation program and a work employment program for young men and women in the area. The toy library was renamed the Westfield Community Center Association in 1937 and the first Executive Director was Mr. Leroy Scurry, whose leadership developed the organization into a highly successful provider of social services to the Westfield community.

The center moved from its original location at 464 West Broad Street to its present location in 1941 and was formally incorporated in 1948. Federal tax exempt status was granted to the Center in 1951 and public charity status was granted in 1970. Over the years the center has operated after-school, pre-school and youth summer camp programs. Currently, the center serves senior citizens and is designated and funded by the County of Union as a senior citizens facility. In addition, in 2015, the Westfield Community Center designated a special room in the center as the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Westfield library and museum. This room is where the Dr. King Association has its regular meetings. 

Over its long history, the Westfield Community Center has hosted many distinguished visitors who were invited to offer wisdom and inspiration to children and adults. Among those visitors were the baseball player Jackie Robinson, the tennis champion Althea Gibson, the Olympian Jesse Owens, and the renowned educator Mary McLeod Bethune. During the 1960s, 70s, and 80s the Center hosted fundraising events that drew the talents of Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Harry James, and Woody Herman and their orchestras, as well as famous singers such as Fanni Jones. These eminent musical performances greatly enhanced the center’s image as a first class provider of community services.

Westfield Community Center Archives.