Cooper Library in Johnson Park (A.K.A. Walt Whitman Arts Center)

The former Cooper Library sits within Johnson's park and on land that has served Camden as a transportation hub for centuries, dating back to 1688. It first served a ferry company for nearly a century before the British used it during the American Revolution. After the war, a stagecoach terminal emerged on the spot, followed by a railway hub. Completion of the library took place in 1918 and stands as one of Camden's finest Neo-Classical designed structures and is home to an abundance of fine artwork -- arguably existing as the southern New Jersey's preeminent cultural facility when it opened.

Starting in 1688, Cooper's Ferry transported goods between Camden and Philadelphia. After the British captured Philadelphia in 1777 during the American Revolutionary War, the British used the spot as a transportation hub used by British and Hessian (German) troops. After the war, the grounds served first as a stagecoach terminal, followed by a railway terminal, notably from 1834 to 1854 for the Amboy Railway Company. 

On December 31, 1915, Camden City Council accepted a proposal by Eldridge Reeves Johnson to build a library in Cooper Park. (On May 27, 1920, City Council changed the name of Cooper Park to Johnson Park.) Johnson, a University of Pennsylvania trustee, erudite, explorer, inventor, political activist, and machine shop operator, was also a profound philanthropist. In addition to his ties to the library, he contributed one million dollars to establish the Eldridge R. Johnson Foundation for Research in Medical Physics. 

The Cooper Library is an exemplary Neo-Classical building and artistic center. The building was designed by the acclaimed Philadelphia firm of Karcher and Smith. Walter Karcher (1881-1953) and Livingston Smith (1880-1961) worked as partners for fifty years and completed numerous projects in Camden. The artwork within the library and grounds are not only noteworthy but speak to Camden's growth during the first two decades of the twentieth century. Although a Philadelphia suburb, Camden evolved into a distinctly industrial, economic, and cultural center during the late nineteenth century and into the 1920s.

Much of the artwork enjoys a unique story. The mosaic frieze, "America Receiving the Gift of the Nations," represents growing Nationalism within the U.S. and a feeling of its growth as a world power. The "Peter Pan" statue, created by Sir George Frampton, is a replica of his original statue in London. Frampton donated his replica to the children of Belgium in 1924, which Cooper Park later purchased. Frampton and Sir James Barrie, author of Peter Pan, sent congratulatory messages to Camden prior to the sculpture's dedication on September 24, 1926. The grounds also include numerous animal sculptures created by Philadelphia's Albert Laessle, with the two most famous being "Turtle," "Billy," and "Dancing Goat." As noted in the nomination form to the National Register of Historic Places, "So accurate were the artists's depictions that he was falsely accused of casting his subjects from life. These works show an acute understanding of animals and the strong influence of nature." In 1920, Eldridge Johnson, founder of the Victor Talking Machine Company, commissioned Laessle to create the bronze "Dog and Gramophone" sculpture, the Victor Talking Machine Company's trademark. 

From 1950 to 1970, during a period of economic struggle and high crime rates for Camden, Johnson Park was gravely neglected and vandalized. Graffiti filled the park, and numerous valuable bronze statues had been ripped from their bases and either stolen or severely damaged. During the 1990s, renovation projects sought to restore the park and structure's beauty, all part of Camden's renewed growth. 

After the Cooper Library closed in 1975, it became the Walt Whitman Cultural Arts Center -- named for the poet who lived and was buried in Camden. The Arts Center hosted theatrical performances from the 1970s through 2010. Starting in 2010, Rutgers University–Camden began the slow conversion of turning the building into a classroom facility and move its art performances to another location. 

Greenberg, Gail. "Nomination Form: Cooper Library in Johnson Park." National Register of Historic Places. nps.gov. March 11, 1980. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/1586c8d4-804a-4779-9962-ff34d513a106.

"Johnson Park Restoration." Rutgers-Camden. rutgers.edu. Accessed January 14, 2021. https://johnson-park.camden.rutgers.edu/index.html.

Katz, Matt . "Walt Whitman Arts Center to become classroom-theater." Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia ) December 25, 2010. https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/local/20101225_Walt_Whitman_Arts_Center_to_become_classroom-theater.html.