Oxford Community Center - Oxford Business Association

RESTORING A TREASURE:
THE HISTORIC COMMUNITY CENTER
IN
THE TOWN OF OXFORD, MARYLAND
This tiny town with a huge heart rallies to restore its beloved community center
Oxford, MD – Nestled on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the Town of Oxford may be diminutive (its
population numbers less than 1,000), but its charm, big heart, and character are anything but. It follows, then,
that much of Oxford life revolves around its historic community center. Currently undergoing a substantial and
very welcome renovation complete with “green building” features, the center looks forward not only to better
serving the community, but also to welcoming visitors and attracting regional artistic and cultural events for
the enjoyment and education of all.
The Oxford Community Center (OCC), a brick structure of Georgian influence, was born as a school in 1928.
Designed by renowned Maryland architect Henry Powell Hopkins, who designed many other educational
facilities around the region, including at the University of Maryland’s College Park Campus and Washington
College, the building is the last surviving primary school of his design still in original form on Maryland’s
Eastern Shore. It served as a schoolhouse until 1971, when it was declared surplus and faced demolition, only to
be rescued by the ad hoc Save Our School Committee, led by Philip Conner, then the owner of Crockett Bros.
Boatyard, in 1980. That committee was succeeded by the OCC in 1981. The center now serves over 8.000 people
each year.
The mission of the Oxford Community Center is “to provide a welcoming place where residents and visitors of
all ages can participate in activities that enrich community life.” Under the guidance of its board of trustees and
with the hard work of volunteers and a very small staff, the OCC most certainly has fulfilled that mission over
the years: amateur community theater troupe Tred Avon Players (TAP) makes its home in the building, and the
center hosts a variety of social, cultural, educational, and recreational events in addition to TAP’s productions,
including a Memorial Day weekend Fine Arts Fair, summer youth camp, holiday events, and seasonal farmer’s
market.
Oxford’s citizens and the OCC board were well aware for some time that the building had significant structural,
technical, and safety related issues. Patchwork fixes were implemented for years, until the board studied the
issue in 2008 and realized that something more was required. A capital campaign was launched. Demonstrating
the generosity and respect that characterizes Oxford civic life, organizers put the project on hold when it became

apparent that the Oxford Volunteer Fire Company needed new housing even more desperately. The delay
proved fortuitous, however, as it gave the board some extra time and distance to create a more robust and longrange
vision for the building and its future role in the community and the region. Finally, on August 16, 2010,
the OCC launched it capital campaign.
The board was delighted to find the ideal architect for the project in Oxford resident Cameron Mactavish, a
partner in Voith & Mactavish, a firm widely recognized for its historical renovation work. As Mr. Mactavish
describes it, “The community center is a testament to the rich heritage of the Eastern Shore. It has an
architectural ancestry that is descended from Ancient Rome and the Baths of Caracalla, filtered through New
York Penn Station and distilled in Baltimore by Henry Hopkins. For the last decade I have observed
this historic building and admired its good bones and fine proportions. It is to become a great glowing lantern,
or a set piece, for the Town, illuminated within by the energy and light of the community of Oxford.”
His vision helped make the $2.5 million project a resounding success, but not without unflagging effort on the
part of many, including Senator Richard R. Colburn, who attended school in the building and was one of the
honorary chairs of the campaign committee. Fueled by the efforts of that committee, the initiative is close to
achieve its funding goal. (Check out the goose and the golden egg in front of the center.) Notably, donations,
pledges, and grants were made not only by the State of Maryland (including $625,000 provided pursuant to the
Sustainable Communities Tax Credit program); the Town; citizens; part-time residents; visitors; and several
private foundations – and each and every member of the board and staff of the OCC. And the project created
approximately 46 jobs!
The all-volunteer board, along with staff and volunteers, worked long and hard to find a way to restore the
historic façade while bringing the interior of the building into the 21st century and retaining its original charm
and openness. Representatives of each group that use the center – young and old, artists and musicians, visitors
and residents – were consulted for ideas to create the best possible design.
As designed, the building now includes a raft of environmentally sustainable features – not only new windows
and HVAC systems, which save energy and reduce operating costs, but also high efficiency lighting and
geothermal heat and cooling. Geothermal heat pumps can help reduce consumption of energy the emissions that
traditional HVAC systems produce by up to 40% compared to air source heat pumps and by over 70% compared
to electric resistance heating with standard air conditioning systems. And, instead of allowing roof runoff to
make its way to the Chesapeake Bay, the building will channel it into rain barrels and use it to water the
landscape. (Speaking of the landscape, restoration and improvement of that vital feature will be undertaken by
the Oxford Garden Club.) And, of course, the very fact that the building is being renovated rather than replaced
is a sustainable feature. Indeed, the OCC intends to seek certification by the United States Green Building
Council as a LEED-qualifying building. (“LEED” stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.)
The facility will also be kid friendly, with wall finishes selected not just for their ability to enhance the quality of
the listening and performing experiences but also the ability to create hanging displays for kids’ creative
handiwork, as well as custom-designed sinks, computer furniture, and other features in the new OK Kids Camp
& Afterschool Classroom. Speaking of the walls, Bob Dietz – the Building Restoration Committee Chair without
whose herculean efforts this project would not be such a triumph – is fond of showing visitors the graffiti (Grated!)
found on the walls when the bulletin boards were removed from various rooms. Written on one old
plaster swatch was the name of the company that, research revealed, had indeed installed the building’s original
plasterwork. In another room was a lovely line sketch of a mystery lady.
When it re-opens its doors to the public in early 2012, the reborn Oxford Community Center once again will
touch people’s lives by serving as a place for:
• Enjoying cultural and performing arts, with a raised ceiling, exposed original steel trusses (covered up
in the 1960s), and restored lunette windows (formerly boarded up) creating a light-filled atrium and
new seating, lights, and sound system
• Celebrating life’s major events, with a new hospitality room opening into the atrium and the new patio
that will serve as a venue for parties and other large gatherings
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Oxford Community Center

• Welcoming visitors, with a moveable shelving divider that creates a new space in a renovated classroom
to greet visitors and provide information
• Holding meetings and workshops, with two renovated classrooms equipped with updated technology
such as wi-fi, enhanced sound, and a projection screen
• Engaging the accessibility challenged, with a new ramp at the front of the building, heated sidewalks
and steps at the entrance, an accessible family restroom with a private entrance, technology to link
hearing aids with the sound system -- and even an elevator providing access to the backstage area
• Respecting the environment, with a variety of sustainable building features
• Learning and growing, with updates and enhancements in each classroom to facilitate a wider variety of
programs for students of all ages.
“We are incredibly fortunate, and so grateful to our visionary founders for saving the building,” states Barbara
Seese, executive director of the center. “The Oxford Community Center serves as a cornerstone to our
community – with many, many memories made here over the years. We’re a great example of what can happen
when people share a vision and work together to make a difference.” Board president Bill Ritchie agrees, saying,
“The support we are seeing from private citizens, our public officials, and the State of Maryland speaks to a
strong shared belief in this project and the importance of community.”
Visitors are warmly welcomed to come on over and experience tiny-but-terrific Oxford, Maryland as it
celebrates the grand re-opening of the OCC. Stayed tuned for details! (A tantalizing possibility: the original
architect’s grandson Hoppy, who spoke at the campaign kickoff and happens to play in a band, may appear in
concert with his band mates.)
The Town of Oxford, Maryland: docks, daydreams, discoveries, and so much more
About Oxford, Maryland:
The historic town of Oxford, Maryland, founded in 1683, is located in Talbot County on the Eastern Shore of
the Chesapeake Bay. Until the American Revolution, Oxford was an international shipping center, surrounded
by tobacco plantations and home to a number of prominent national figures. Later it thrived on oyster
harvesting and packing and other watermen’s trades, even as tourism and leisure activities increased. It guards
its peaceful personality, architectural integrity, and small-town virtues to this day, while warmly welcoming
visitors from right next door and around the world. The Oxford Business Association welcomes inquiries by
telephone (1-410-745-9023) and at its website (www.portofoxford.com); and the Talbot County Office of
Tourism offers comprehensive information and trip planning services at its Easton office (1-410-770-8000) and
on its website (www.tourtalbot.org).
PRESS INFORMATION
Carlyle Fairfax Smith
Carlyle International
Ph: 703.898.1333
Carlyle@CarlyleInternational.us
October 2011
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Oxford Community Center