The McConnell Center is located between the Dover Public Library and the Dover District Court in the building that was once Dover High School. It has undergone a great part of a multi-million dollar rehabilitation program to transform the building into a multi-generational human service based community center. The facility provides heath education, cultural, and recreational activities to the Citizens of Dover NH.
Today, the McConnell Center is a home for the
Dover Adult Learning Center of Strafford County,
HUB, and
The Ageless Dreamer Foundation among others, including a restaurant called The Green Bean. The facilities also serve for the Dover Police Outreach program, and host a wide variety of public meetings and events, such as the Dover Main Street Presidents & Politicians Revealed of 2007 in which website creator Patrick McElhiney played President Franklin Pierce in room 227 as New Hampshire's only President of the United States. It also holds the City of Dover Recreation Department, Human Services Department, and offices for the Department of Health and Human Services Juvenile Parole and Probation office.
The McConnell Center was originally built in 1904 as the second High School in Dover NH. The first High School was located off Chestnut Street in the present Goodwill shopping plaza. The McConnell Center building was designed by Alvah T. Ramsdell, the architect who designed Dover Children's home. The original structure was completed in 1905, and an addition was added in 1928 by architect J. Edward Richardson who also designed the Dover City Hall. The addition is now the middle section of the building.
The School department performed a major renovation inside the building in 1961 that included electrical and plumbing and reconfigured rooms to better accommodate the student population. The High School moved to Durham Rd in 1967, and the building became Dover Jr. High School. The Dover Junior High School moved to Durham Rd in 2000, and the building was named the McConnell Center to honor a Korean War hero and resident of Dover NH,
Joseph McConnell.
The vision for the McConnell Community Campus will encourage a diversity of people to grow, connect, recreate and build lives of purpose and meaning by creating a collaborative environment for community-based nonprofit organizations, government, schools and volunteers to support each other’s activities; balancing opportunities and services to meet the interests and needs of area residents; and fostering creative partnerships between the McConnell Community Campus, businesses, and health-related community services.
Hillary Clinton and her daughter Chelsea Clinton visited the McConnell Center on January 7th, 2008, the day before the New Hampshire Presidential Primary. Chelsea Clinton also
visited the Dover NH Hillary Office located at 11 Chestnut Street where website creator Patrick McElhiney was a volunteer to support Hillary Clinton for President.
Renovation Plans:
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