Purchase Community House, 3095 Purchase St

A staple in the Purchase community is the aptly named Purchase Community House. "Mr. William A. Read first recognized the need for club rooms where the people of Purchase could come together for social and for civic purposes. On October 7, 1915 he informed the Purchase Property Owners Association of Harrison Township, Inc. that he had bought a saloon on Purchase Street, and that he intended to buy additional land which he would present to the Community for the above purposes. He planned to build on this property a Community House which would contain an auditorium, living quarters for a neighborhood nurse and for school teachers, and a gymnasium for men and boys." [1]

Unfortunately, Read never got to see this through, but his widow did. Upon completion, it was leased to the Purchase Property Owners' Association, then eventually an organization called the Purchase Community was formed and incorporated in 1926.

[1] “About the PCH.” About the Purchase House - Purchase, NY. Accessed November 9, 2024. https://purchasehouse.com/about.html.