Department of Military and Veterans Affairs

New Jersey Historic Trust Affiliated with the Department of Community Affairs

Elks – BPOE (Carver Center YMCA)

Preserve New Jersey Historic Preservation Fund
Historic Site Management
Grant Award: $50,000 (2021)
Grant Recipient: Isles, Inc.
County: Mercer
Municipality: Trenton City

The Carver Center served as the primary gathering place for Trenton’s Black community from its construction in 1922 into the late twentieth century. The building was constructed by the Sunlight Elks Lodge, a Black fraternal organization, at the height of the Great Migration, when thousands of Southern Black men, women and children relocated to Trenton in search of employment and opportunity. Its site at the heart of the vibrant Spring Street neighborhood was proximate to the City’s Black businesses and the homes of its professional class. The Carver Center served as a meeting place for community organizations and hosted a wide range of programs and events. It was also a recreational and entertainment center, the scene of USO dances during World War II and of games and concerts throughout its history. As the only gathering place exclusively for Black residents outside of churches, the Carver Center holds a special place in the City’s history. It has a high degree of integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. Its period of significance begins in 1922, with the construction of the auditorium, and ends in 1975 with the closure of the YMCA.  

The Trust grant will help fund a Preservation Plan for the Carver Center and a Campus Feasibility Plan for the Carver Center and neighboring historic Higbee School. 


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