Page 5 - Lake Front News June 18-July 1 2020 Edition

Vermilion Old Town Hall
Houses A Hidden Treasure
By Maggie Kelch, Feature Writer
raised and lowered using hemp ropes,” Chapple said.
Now, the Town Hall and Opera House could have an equally colorful future, thanks to local volunteers who started the HFAC. The HFAC was formed as a non-profit corporation in 2018. According to Chapple, they have two goals. “We want to bring fine arts back to Vermilion so people don’t have to travel to Cleveland, Columbus or Toledo to enjoy dance, music, theater and the arts,” he said.
“We also want to preserve the historic significance of the Old Town Hall,” he added.
HFAC has a purchase agreement to buy the building, and needs to raise $250,000
by September. They have launched a capital campaign to buy the structureandhaveseveral fundraisers ongoing.
For starters, supporters can buy a red brick for as little as $25. Individuals and organizations who would like to see their name more prominently associated with the Opera House can adopt a seat. For $1,000, they can have their name (or a loved one’s name) put on a permanent brass plaque on the back of a seat. Naming rights are also available for Town Hall, the Opera House, Ballroom and Studios.
The ballroom and powder room, South Studio A and Lobby Lounge Room on the first floor are available for rent for special events.
Continued on page 7
Built in 1883 and completed in 1884, Old Town Hall was the center of the village of Vermilion government for over a century. The Town Hall is one of the key large historic buildings left in Vermilion and is on the National Registry of Historical Places.
At one time, the red brick building on Main Street housed council meetings, the Vermilion Police Department and administrative offices.
What many people don’t know is that it has a much more colorful past! In addition to the jail, meeting rooms and offices on the first floor, it has a first floor ballroom and an elegant
second floor Opera House. And, legend says that it is the home to two ghosts - a lady in white and a little boy.
The Opera House is a hidden treasure, complete with original curtains, polished wooden chairs, ornate woodwork, and stained glass windows. For over 100 years it was used for concerts, variety shows, theater productions, medicine shows, traveling minstrel shows, prize-fighting, and more. It seated 420 people and was used until the Great Depression.
Jim Chapple, president of the board of the Harbourtown Fine Arts Center (HFAC) said it is one of the only remaining “hemp” theaters. “All of the curtains and backdrops are
The Old Town Hall is a hidden treasure in Vermilion.
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A Small Town on a Great Lake
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June 18 - July 1, 2020/LAKE FRONT NEWS/Page 5
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