LETTER: Resident applauds Camden County Parks for its work
I applaud the Camden County Parks Department for beginning to repair the neglected white building at Wallworth Park.
In February, I learned of its plan to demolish the building and decided to search for a reason for it to be spared. I sifted through the collections of the local historical societies and found the photo, seen to the right, that was taken in the 1930s.
The building was designed by the parks original landscape architect/civil engineer, Charles Wellford Leavitt, Jr. in 1925.
Construction of the comfort station/club house/wallworth building was completed in 1928.
The quaint Colonial-style clubhouse experienced many iterations and was utilized as community space as late as 1977.
Beyond a secure exterior, the building needs a new roof and a drainage system ASAP.
Hopefully, when the Cooper River Historic District application is revised and approved by the New Jersey Historic Preservation Office, the building exists so it is able to benefit from the financial incentives.
My question is simple.
Camden County Board of Chosen Freeholders: How and what is your plan to further secure the Wallworth Building so it is ready for proper restoration in the future?
Returning the building to its original integrity would be a monument to South Jersey’s early visionaries.
Kevin Cook
