This Week in Odessa History

There was a move to establish a community center in Odessa in February, 99 years ago, with a bond issue put on the ballot for voters to decide if the school board should spend $3,000 to remodel an abandoned church building into such a facility.

In the March 7 election that year, voters flatly turned down the proposal, and it wasn’t until 1920 that Odessa was to have its Community Hall and not until 1974 that the Community Center was built.

The Record had this report on the first proposal for a civic center in its issue of February 20, 1914:

A campaign for a community center for Odessa was form...