The Oxford Community Center will host a special evening occasion to thank donors who supported the OCC’s ambitious capital campaign to architecturally restore and environmentally update the landmark 1928 School. The Thank You Event, will be held on Thursday, October 3 at the OCC and expects to hosts more than three hundred patrons who recognize both the building’s historic prominence and civic importance.
Completed in 1928, the original building, now the Oxford Community Center located in the heart of town, first served as the Oxford School. The stately brick structure was designed by Annapolis-born, Architect Henry Powell Hopkins (1891-1984), who also served as Colonial Annapolis’ architect for development. Mr. Hopkins made many important architectural contributions: education facilities he created include the chapel at Hood College, Frederick, Maryland (1955); the Fine Arts Building, the Horticultural Building and the McKeldin Library (1957) at the University of Maryland at College Park; and the former Hodson and Reid Halls at Washington College, Chestertown, Maryland. For 43 years, the Oxford School met the educational needs of its local community – first as a high school and later as an elementary school. In 1971, the school was declared surplus for educational purposes by the Talbot County School Board and shut down. Eventually, the building was slated for demolition.
Through multiple community efforts, and more recently, a successful capital campaign, the Oxford Community Center (OCC) completed the restoration and renovation of the historic 1928 school in 2012. In addition to respecting the integrity of the historic structure, measures were taken to ensure that this project included green technology to support a minimal impact both to our environment and most importantly, our closest natural resource – the Chesapeake Bay. As a result, the OCC received LEED GOLD certification from the US Green Building Council in July.
In honor of his grandfather’s architectural vision, Mr. Henry P. Hopkins’ grandson, Henry “Hoppy” P. Hopkins, III will be providing the evening’s musical entertainment for the Thank You Event. Mr. Hopkins, III is a highly respected Baltimore based silversmith who works from the Mount Vernon shop his father, Henry P. Hopkins, Jr. established 58 years ago. “Hoppy”, as Mr. Hopkins’, III is called, and his sister work together to create and restore beautiful and prestigious silver works.
The OCC Thank You Event underlines the importance of community participation when evaluating the future of saving historic and prominent structures. Without the concerted efforts of its many supporters from both the capital campaign and past efforts, the Oxford Community Center would have most surely been demolished and its history lost. Instead, today, Oxford boasts a beautifully restored, carefully executed, environmentally respectful centerpiece created to serve as a focal point for the recreational, cultural and personal interests of generations to come. For over 25 years, the OCC has served over 8000 people a year, including a summer camp (Oxford Kids Camp), after-school and enrichment activities for youth (The Summer Art Room), the Tred Avon Players, the Fine Arts Fair among many others. It is this spirit of community which brings us together to celebrate the now and future of the OCC.
..
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.