E. M. Hart Senior Center: About Us

• Our Mission Statement
• History of the Hart Senior Center and Ethel MacLeod Hart
• Senior Center Web Page Index

History of the Hart Senior Center and Ethel MacLeod Hart

The Sacramento Senior Center was opened in 1961 when the City of Sacramento extended its services for older adults. The center was conveniently located in Marshall Park in midtown Sacramento and had a welcoming and relaxing park-like feeling. The building also had unique architecture, which added to its park setting. In October of 1994, the center was renamed in honor of Ethel MacLeod Hart for her generosity to the city’s senior citizens.

Hart was born in Canada in 1888 and died in Sacramento in 1992 at the age of 104. She arrived in California as a teenager, married, and shortly after, she and her husband bought the old Delta Telephone and Telegraph Co. in Courtland in 1928. The two operated it for almost 30 years. From there, Hart and her husband moved to the Bay Area but traveled throughout their retirement. When her husband passed away in 1964, Hart moved to midtown Sacramento and had an active life into her '90s.

At the time of her death, Hart left the majority of her assets to the City of Sacramento for the “use, enjoyment, and comfort” of senior citizens. Though the center today has had a face lift and has been updated to follow the times, it is still a place where senior citizens can join together and learn new things. It also still has its relaxing and welcoming setting in the midst of an urban area.

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