La Mott Community Center Design Plans To Be Unveiled

CHELTENHAM TOWNSHIP, PA — A public meeting to review design plans for the La Mott Community Center has been rescheduled for Tuesday night.

Cheltenham staff and consultants are holding the meeting to discuss the schematic design plans for the La Mott Community Center.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Curtis Hall.

At a recent meeting, residents turned out to show support for the community center's future after the township received $3,828,500 in federal funding earlier this year.

Last March, the La Mott CC Restoration/Rehabilitation Project received federal funding secured by U.S. Congresswoman Madeleine Dean.

Since 2020, cost-prohibitive repairs needed for the heating system have necessitated a building closure for the winter seasons, and the aging building is also in need of additional structural repairs.

The community center was once the site of Camp William Penn during The Civil War.

The area was known as "Camptown" before being renamed La Mott to honor Lucretia Mott, a well-known abolitionist who lived here.

The La Mott Grammar School was built in 1879 to encourage the purchase of real estate in the area. It closed in 1940 and reopened in 1941 as a community center to serve area residents.

Due to the deteriorating physical condition of the aging infrastructure, inoperable mechanical systems, and inability to meet current building code and Federal ADA requirements, the La Mott Community Center is now only capable of serving the public in a very limited manner, officials said.

The awarded funds will allow the rehabilitation of the La Mott Community Center so the facility can once again provide the residents of Cheltenham Township with year-round educational, recreational, and social programming, along with highlighting the arts, culture, and history of this unique community while providing a safe, modern community space and programs.

Designs for the project can be viewed by clicking here

(Cheltenham Township)