> When I was in high school and lived in Ft. Pierce, Florida, there was a white stucco building down town. We called it "the community center." It was on a block by itself between the business district and the waterfront. Inside the building there was a dance floor with a juke box, a piano and a stage. In one end there was a pool table and a ping pong table. Another room had card tables. Out the side door there was a flagstone terrace complete with chairs tables and palm trees. Naturally, it was the hangout for high school aged people. It was busy on most evenings, but on weekends it was packed. The whole block was surrounded by cars, motorcycles, motor scooters and bicycles. There were games and dances going on all the time, but there was no TV and no video games (not in 1950!).
>
> In the whole three years that I was there, I never saw anybody drunk, on drugs, or fighting. Nobody ever called the cops. Nobody complained about "those kids." We had fun. I drove by there a few years ago and it was a vacant lot. I wonder what happened. Do places like that even exist any more?
> Howard


Over here, most 50s/60s/70s council estates had two or three community centres, which were ostensibly for the estate's youth to hang out in, do interesting stuff, and generally keep out of trouble.

However, the focus of youth culture quickly changed, and 'having a good time' now meant smashing up public property. The community centres were the obvious first target. Although a few community centres have been renovated and are serving their original purpose, in the main, most just lie there to be re-torched every few years or so.

Zarniwoop