“The mission of Sterling House Community Center is to foster the physical, social, emotional, artistic and intellectual growth of the residents of Stratford and surrounding areas.”
Sterling House is a multi-service community center located in the heart of Stratford, Connecticut. More than 100 years ago, the Sterling family, one of Stratford’s oldest and wealthiest families, built their family homestead, a grand Romanesque mansion on Main Street. John Sterling had this home built in 1886, on the land owned by his father, Captain John Sterling, which was donated in 1931 by his sister Cordelia Sterling to the Town of Stratford in Trust to be used as a community center.
The stately house registered in the National Registry of Historic Homes was designed by architect Bruce Price of New York, who also designed Osborne Hall and Welch Hall at Yale University. The homestead’s lawns and gardens were originally planned by Frederick Law Olmsted who was landscape architect of New York’s Central Park.
Cordelia Sterling, the daughter of Captain John Sterling, donated the gift of the Sterling Homestead, House and Park, in memory of her father, to the people of Stratf
ord and the surrounding areas. She died in 1931 and according to her wishes; Sterling House has been utilized as a community center since 1932.
Since its opening, Sterling House has been a mecca for all ages, children, teenagers and adults. It is dedicated to serving the toddler to the senior adult and provides affordable social, educational and recreational activities which assist them in their positive and healthy development. Program services include: Child Development Center, Positive Youth Development Services, Adult Programs and Community Services. The center services over 10,000 individuals yearly.
