History
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The Harry Whiting Brown Community House was established by the Harry Whiting Brown family in 1929 as a living memorial to Mr. Brown's beloved Village of Glendale "...so that all the people of the Village will feel free to use it." It has been enriching, enlightening, entertaining and educating the community of Glendale ever since. Today, we operate as Harry Whiting Brown Community Center though our legal name is still Harry Whiting Brown Community House.
Selecting a beautiful property carpeted with wide, green lawns and majestic shade trees in the heart of the Village on the southeast corner of Willow and Sharon Avenues, the family began fixing up the property for the community's use. The Scouts were the first beneficiaries as the Brown family transformed the property's stables into a cozy Scout clubhouse. More improvements soon followed. In 1931, the family expanded the property so more groups could enjoy the Harry Whiting Brown Community House and built a new hall just east of the Scout's clubhouse. The main house also served a most practical purpose. Single teachers in Glendale Public Schools found the second floor of the main house a warm, inviting, and safe place to live. The first floor was home to the Community Nurse Association until the early 1950s, when the Glendale Public Library assumed the space. In 1994, an army of volunteers, engineers, and the curious converged at the St. Edmund's Home church camp on Chester Road. The church camp, which had closed years before, featured a beautiful, tiny chapel built in 1922 called the St. Edmund's Boys' Chapel. The group watched or helped as the chapel was loaded up and moved a mile-and-a-half to the Harry Whiting Brown property where it sits today. In 2013, the Peter J. Gruber Pavilion was added to the site to host our summer concerts, plays and other outdoor events. Viewing is from an open lawn area surrounded by trees to add comfort and beauty to the site. The initial bequest was for the property to be used as a permanent home for the Boy and Girl Scout Troops, Community Nurse activities, residence for teachers, community meetings, museum space, playground for children's recreation and a bird sanctuary. Though many of the programs have changed, volunteer trustees today continue carrying on the mission of the Brown family to the benefit and enjoyment of Glendale residents. Today, on the same wide shaded lawns, sits the original Victorian structure--the main house--complete with a meeting room and two apartments. The Community House, Carriage House and Mews provide space for Scout activities. The Boys' Chapel, which seats 50 people in exquisite hand-carved pews for quaint ambiance and finally the Performance Pavilion. To learn more about us today, visit our "About Us" page. Vertical Divider
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Harry Whiting Brown
The Elm Lawn
The Scout House
The Chapel
Peter J. Gruber Pavilion
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Historical photos
Sculptures
The sculpture shown here is "How Alike I am to You”, created in 2000 by Tim Werrell. It was commissioned
for the 2001 anniversary of the 50th Children’s International Summer Village (CISV), the first of which was held in Glendale in 1951.
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Donated by the Muir family, “Starburst” was created in 2009 by professional sculptor Tim Werrell (Timothy S. Werrell), a Glendale resident until he moved to North Carolina in 2001. Tim has a B.A. from Beloit College, Beloit, Wisconsin, 1979.
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“Scout Fosdick” is one of approximately two dozen fiberglass squirrels dispersed throughout the village in 2005 to commemorate Glendale’s 150th birthday. Our squirrel is named after Samuel Fosdick, one of the founders of Glendale. Artist: Carolyn Cook, Glendale resident.
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“Dame de Baigneuse” was sculpted by Étienne Hajdú in 1952. Étienne Hajdú, also known as István Hajdú (August 12, 1907 - March 24, 1996), was a Transylvania-born French sculptor of Jewish descent.
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Additional Historical Documents
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