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The Vienna Community Center turned back the clock on April 17, celebrating its 60th anniversary with historic photographs, retro treats and memories spanning generations.
The town’s Parks and Recreation Department transformed the center’s multipurpose room into a time capsule for the open house. Newspaper clippings and photographs—many contributed by residents—traced the facility’s evolution and its role in community life.
Visitors also found 1960s-era candy, including Sweet Tarts, Chuckles and 100 Grand bars, supplied free by the food assistance nonprofit One Neighborhood Foundation. Throwback giveaways included dominoes, bags of marbles and coasters designed to resemble vinyl records.
“We hope to celebrate not just the building, but the people and memories,” Parks and Recreation Director Leslie Herman said before a ceremony that concluded with Mayor Linda Colbert cutting an anniversary cake.
The center opened in April 1966 as Northern Virginia’s first facility of its kind to offer programming for residents of all ages, according to the town. Its dedication drew local, state and federal elected officials and featured a performance by the James Madison High School Madrigals.
The effort to create the center began two decades earlier, when the Vienna Lions Club concluded in 1946 that the town needed a place for leisure activities. The organization made the first $1,500 contribution toward a fundraising campaign that eventually collected $125,000 for planning and construction.
Colbert said a dedicated committee spent nearly 20 years raising that money, often through modest community events such as car washes.
Town leaders initially considered an 11-acre property now occupied by Glyndon Park. They ultimately selected the center’s present location at 120 Cherry Street SE.
Its arrival coincided with an expansion of Vienna’s recreational offerings, including plans for Northside and Southside parks on former sewage treatment plant properties. Town newsletters from 1966 advertised preschool programs, roller skating, teen dances and classes in sewing, bridge and art for children and adults.
Colbert, whose family moved to Vienna in 1968, said she could not imagine the town without the community center. She recalled Fourth of July celebrations that included grease-pole climbs and emphasized the center’s enduring connection to local theater. It remains home to the Vienna Theatre Players and Vienna Youth Players.
The mayor also recognized former Town Council member Bob Dix, whose father donated to the community center. Dix helped introduce All Night Grad celebrations for graduating high school seniors in the late 1980s and later advocated for a separate teen center, now called Club Phoenix.
Dix also served on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, led the Vienna Chamber of Commerce and helped guide the town’s annual ViVa Vienna! festival.
“Bob has a lot of history and contributed so much to Vienna,” Colbert said.
Rep. James Walkinshaw, who was unable to attend, submitted a congressional recognition honoring the anniversary. Walkinshaw, elected last year to represent Virginia’s 11th Congressional District, described the center as a historic landmark and a lasting gathering place for neighbors, families and community traditions.
A representative for Del. Holly Seibold, a Democrat representing the 12th District, also read a congratulatory resolution that will be presented to the Virginia General Assembly.
The center has undergone several renovations, most recently in 2017. Its amenities now include meeting rooms, an auditorium, a kitchen and two gymnasiums. Nearby are Waters and Caffi fields and the Washington & Old Dominion Trail.
Colbert encouraged anniversary guests to explore the building and everything around it.
“The whole thing is just one big adventure and very, very fun,” she said.