Marion Allen’s Vision

Marion Allen’s vision for Milton was to have a welcoming place in which folks could gather, and so began Milton’s senior center. Mrs. Allen grew up in Georgia, but she embraced Milton as her home for over 50 years and so began Milton’s senior center. In 1977, St. Mary Church in Milton hosted the first Golden Diners in Milton. Marion Allen was one of the volunteers at the nutrition site. She realized that senior citizens needed to have a place of their own where they could have lunch and socialize. Marion purchased a lot at 715 Campus Street on May 2, 1991 and hired architect Paul Dalberg and builders Ed an J.P. Hale to make her vision a reality. Besides financing the project, Marion was involved in every aspect of the construction, even personally choosing all of the colors and furnishings for each room. On October 4, 1992, the Gathering Place held its grand opening. And in the over 20+ years since, local senior citizens have truly had a “place of their own,” thanks to this generous gift to the community from Marion Allen. In 2004, a video was produced which describes the history of “the Gathering Place.”