After more than eight years of closure, the City of Trenton celebrates the return of one of its most cherished community landmarks: the Reading Senior Center. Mayor Gusciora & the Trenton City Council joined local officials...
What happened
Trenton, N.J. — After more than eight years of closure, the City of Trenton celebrates the return of one of its most cherished community landmarks: the Reading Senior Center.
Mayor Gusciora & the Trenton City Council joined local officials, Senator Shirley Turner, Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, Mercer County Executive Dan Benson, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, and local seniors for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, September 10.
Key details
Built in 1888 as a passenger station for the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, the historic building later became a gathering place for generations of Trenton seniors, offering meals, recreation, social activities, wellness programs and access to essential services.
The Center’s reopening marks the culmination of a years-long effort by the Gusciora Administration & Trenton City Council to restore the historic facility and return it to the community.
County ARPA funds provided more than $600,000, with additional project funding provided through the City’s federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.
The rehabilitation restored and modernized approximately 11,000 square feet of the historic facility.
Improvements include renovated community and program areas, new floor and ceiling finishes, a new kitchen, modernized lighting and electrical systems, mechanical improvements, and a new elevator providing ADA accessibility.
Restoring a nearly 140-year-old building presented significant challenges along the way.
The property also suffered vandalism while it remained vacant.
The City ultimately restarted the project and remained committed to completing the restoration.
The City is pursuing additional funding for the estimated $375,000 to $400,000 in necessary improvements.
Diego Minacapelli, Director of Health and Human Services.
For many Trenton residents, the reopening also restores an important piece of the city’s collective memory.
The Reading Senior Center is back.”
The reopening is part of a broader City effort to improve facilities and accessibility for Trenton seniors.
Background and context
The City and Mercer County announced a $1.3 million partnership earlier this year to complete the rehabilitation of the Center.
An earlier renovation effort was discontinued, and subsequent work uncovered structural and mechanical conditions that could not have been anticipated until portions of the building were opened.
Additional work is continuing on the building’s permanent HVAC system after construction revealed more extensive deterioration than previously known.
We have preserved an important piece of our history while creating a modern, accessible and dignified place for our seniors.
What officials said
This project is also a reminder of what we can accomplish when different levels of government work together for the people we serve,” Mayor Gusciora said.
Congresswoman Watson Coleman, County Executive Benson, our legislative delegation, Mercer County, our City Council and our City departments all played a role in getting us here.
I am grateful to everyone who stayed committed to seeing these doors reopen.
Facilities like the Reading Senior Center are essential to public and community health,” said Dr.
Here, Trenton’s seniors will have opportunities for community, social engagement and wellness programming, access to nutritious meals, and a direct connection to City services and support.
Generations of Trentonians remember their parents and grandparents coming here,” Mayor Gusciora said.
Now a new generation of Trenton seniors will make their own memories here.
Why it matters to residents
Mayor Gusciora credited the many federal, county, state and local partners who helped bring the project across the finish line, including Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, whose support for federal Community Development Block Grant funding has helped Trenton invest in neighborhood and community facilities; Mercer County Executive Dan Benson and Mercer County, which committed more than $600,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding toward the project; members of Trenton’s state legislative delegation; and state officials whose support and State Aid have enabled the City to continue investing in its public facilities and infrastructure.
The Department of Health and Human Services is completing a new entrance ramp and ADA-accessible door improvements at the Trenton Free Public Library on Academy Street and is completing renovations to the South Ward Senior Center on Broad Street, which is expected to reopen in October.
What happens next
The Center will officially open to Trenton seniors on Tuesday, September 15.
Temporary climate-control equipment will allow the Center to open and serve seniors while the permanent work proceeds.
The Reading Senior Center will also become the new home of the City of Trenton Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Community Relations and Social Services, beginning Wednesday, September 16, providing seniors with convenient access to City programs and assistance.
Source and attribution: Jersey Alerts reviewed the primary official release from City of Trenton Official and any additional sources identified above. Names, dates, figures, quotations, claims and characterizations remain attributed to their cited source unless Jersey Alerts states that they were independently confirmed.
No comments yet. Start a helpful local conversation.