OGDEN — The Marshall White Center’s 55-year-old facility will close its doors for the last time this week, but that doesn’t mean memories of the facility will cease to exist.

In fact, the public is being invited to a closing ceremony at 6 p.m. Friday at the rec center to celebrate its past as well as the future facility that will take its place in the coming years.

Edd Bridge, recreation manager, told the Standard-Examiner the Marshall White Center has been meaningful to the Ogden community ever since it opened in 1968.

“This has been a staple of the community,” he said. “Everybody knows about the Marshall White Center. When I tell people that I work in Ogden, they always talk about playing basketball at the Marshall White Center or boxing at the Marshall White Center. One of the unique things about the Marshall White Center is it is free for kids to come in and play basketball, which I think is a fabulous thing. It’s kind of a safe haven for kids.”

He said this closing ceremony will be a chance to celebrate what the community center has meant to people over the years.

“It’s really an opportunity for people to come through, remember the good times that they’ve had and remember the center as it was,” he said.

The night will also feature speakers such as Ronald White — son of the late Marshall N. White — and the public is invited to attend.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new community center is planned to be held in the coming weeks, according to Bridge. A date has yet to be announced.

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