The Legacy of a Community Gem in Old Greenwich

By Greenwich Sentinel
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Oral History Project Blog – The Legacy of a Community Gem in Old Greenwich

*Newly opened Cohen Eastern Greenwich Civic Center. Photo by Mary Jacobson.*

By Mary A. Jacobson

There was much excitement and anticipation at 90 Harding Road in Old Greenwich this past April 9 as the new Cohen Eastern Greenwich Civic Center was officially opened to the public. Three years from demolition to completion, the 35,418 square-foot building completes a $25 million project with multi-use event space, a full-size gym, outdoor fields, children and adult sports clinics, and so much more. The Steven and Alexandra Cohen Foundation donated $5 million to initiate this public-private project. This reimagined space will serve the Greenwich community for many years to come – a new center for recreation, events, and community connection.

However, the history of this building and site dates back 75 years when it was originally inaugurated as the Electrolux Recreation Center in December 1950. On that date, E.V. Ekman, CEO of Electrolux, proudly proclaimed at its opening, “This is an Electrolux investment… We shall measure the soundness of this investment only in terms of the amount of good that it can be made to generate.”

Electrolux Company began manufacturing in Old Greenwich in 1933, producing millions of vacuum cleaners by the time it closed in 1985. After World War II, Electrolux acquired a twenty-acre tract of land adjoining the plant and set about planning a recreation center with playing fields for its employees. In 1948, the task of “converting a swampy waste into a There was much excitement and anticipation at 90 Harding Road in Old Greenwich this past April 9 as the new Cohen Eastern Greenwich Civic Center was officially opened to the public. Three years from demolition to completion, the 35,418 square- foot building completes a $25 million project with multi-use event space, a full-size gym, outdoor fields, children and adult sports clinics, and so much more. The Steven and Alexandra Cohen Foundation donated $5 million to initiate this public-private project. This reimagined space will serve the Greenwich community for many years to come – a new center for recreation, events, and community connection.

The Ekman Center, as it was then called, afforded Electrolux workers a place for conviviality and recreation. “At the time, the Center served a purpose. But, as the years went on, with all the competition with television and other things, lifestyles changed.” At the end of their workday, many employees preferred to go home rather than engage in recreational activities at the Ekman Center. In 1967, the Town of Greenwich purchased the building and its twenty acres of property for $432,000 and renamed it the Greenwich Civic Center (later the Eastern Greenwich Civic Center). At the time, Lowell Weicker was First Selectman of Greenwich. Charles Henninger was the first Director of the Eastern Greenwich Civic Center, a position he held from 1967 to 1992. In 1992, he was interviewed by Patricia Holch of the Oral History Project.

According to Henninger, “Four hundred thirty-two thousand dollars for the building including twenty acres of property… was a very, very good deal for the town. However, not all Greenwich residents approved of the sale.” There were opposing comments like, “’It’s too remote;’ ‘No one will ever use it’… It went on and on like that…They were going to put the ice-skating rink here, too… right next to the building here. The warming room was going to be our lower lounge… but it went political, and the other end of town felt they were being left out.”

According to Henninger, “The early days of the center were very youth oriented. We had drop-in programs. Dances every other week. The dances were an adventure because, in those days, we cut it off at a thousand… all the regional and local bands that were popular with the kids,” from Mothers of Invention to the Strawberry Alarm Clock. To maintain order, “We had four policemen. Four uniform and two plain clothesmen. One matron in the ladies’ room and two firemen.”

The expansive outdoor acreage accommodated tennis courts, baseball diamonds, a children’s playground, softball and soccer leagues, and company picnics, among other activities. The bowling alleys were eventually covered to provide for more much-needed activity space. One of the particularly popular senior events was the Thanksgiving dinner with upwards of five hundred participants in attendance. One year, Henninger found he was in need of additional people to wait on tables. “So, I just happened to mention at one of the Board of Estimate meetings, ‘Why don’t you guys come out to do it?’” Henninger was particularly proud that “the three selectmen, members of the Board of Estimate, the fire chief, the police chief, Department of Social Services, traffic engineer’’ all showed up to help. “It’s really become something that people look forward to doing. So, it’s a fun thing.”

One of the most unique and memorable events in the late sixties and early seventies were the circuses. “We had three circuses here sponsored by the Friends of the Library.” The first year of the circus, five thousand tickets were sold and a huge tent covered the outside area. “That was the day of the record rainfall of nine inches. It was unreal. We tied the elephants on the small trees. The elephants uprooted the trees. We had people losing their shoes in the mud. The cats and leopards would not sit on the wet ground. So, we had to go out and get four or five tons of hay and put that on the ground… All the trucks got caught up to their axles in mud. So, we had the elephants pull the trucks out. It really looked like a disaster… It was like an ‘I Love Lucy’ thing.” The following two circuses were set up on the parking lot across the street.

In 1991 Henninger boasted that there were 1,203 different programs at the EGCC. “We had dances, fashion shows, concerts, dog shows, picnics, antique shows, train shows, athletic leagues, banquets, seminars, bridal showers, baby showers, roller skating programs, senior citizen programs, Weight Watchers, square dancing… We don’t have a free weekend… When Governor Weicker was here maybe three months ago, he stuck his head in the door and said, ‘I thought this place was a white elephant. I can’t find a place to park out there’… He’s always very proud that he pushed to get the place.”

In the 1990s then First Selectman Thomas Ragland formed a committee to outline plans to reimagine the facility. Thirty years later, much of what was envisioned is now a reality. With the April 2025 opening of the $25 million new Cohen Eastern Greenwich Civic Center, new memories and experiences await the Greenwich community. As First Selectman Fred Camillo stated upon its opening, “The new Center represents a major investment in our town’s future, providing a vibrant space for residents of all ages to come together.” One could almost hear an echo of the words of Mr. Ekman in 1950 who envisioned his company’s recreation center as one which would provide “an abundant return in terms of human value.”

The interviews entitled “Electrolux” and “Greenwich Civic Center” may be read in their entirety or checked out at the main library. They are also available for purchase at the Oral History Project office. The OHP is sponsored by Friends of Greenwich Library. Visit the website at glohistory.org. Mary Jacobson serves as blog editor.