The Walsworth Community Center has been a work-in-progress since 1984. In that year, the Marceline Centennial Committee was formed to organize the city's 1988 centennial. This committee decided that any profits from the celebration should go toward a community center.
Formally incorporated in 1995, the group of dedicated volunteers continued the arduous task of raising funds from private sources to construct and furnish a large-scale community building.
The original building encompassed 13,440 square feet. An addition built in 2008 increased the total square footage to 14,272. The cost of both the original construction and the addition were underwritten by Missouri Department of Economic Development Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) grants. The building opened its doors to the public on September 21, 2001. It offers a large (108' x 82') multipurpose room as well as a smaller conference room which seats 60.
In acknowledgement of the ongoing generous donations from the Walsworth family, the Board of Directors of the Marceline Community Building Committee Corp. named the facility the Walsworth Community Center.
The multipurpose room has two regulation-size basketball courts available for the youth of the community to use on a regular basis in the summer and after school. Adult walkers and line dancers use the multipurpose room throughout the year. The Center has been featured as a venue for musical groups as diverse as the Krazy Kats, the Chosen Few and the Pool Boys. The multipurpose room is large enough to seat approximately 600 guests for wedding receptions and banquets. The conference room provides meeting space for various civic groups and occasional speakers.
Even though the original building was completed in 2001, the all-volunteer Board of Directors has continued its work on behalf of the center and the community by taking charge of the administration and the management of the building operations.
