Page 11 - Leisure Living Magazine: June 2020 Edition

Vermilion Old Town Hall
Houses A Hidden Treasure
By Maggie Kelch, Feature Writer
Built in 1883 and completed in 1884, Old Town Hall was the center of the village of Vermil- ion government for over a century. The Town Hall is one of the key
large historic
buildings left in
Vermilion and
is on the Na-
tional Registry
of Historical
Places.
At one time, the red brick building on Main Street housed council meetings, the Vermilion Po- lice Department and administra- tive offices.
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 pre- serve the histor- ic significance of the Old Town Hall,” he added.
Old Town Hall in Vermilion HFAC has a purchase
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.
agreement to buy the building, and needs to raise $250,000 by September. They have launched a capital cam- paign to buy the structure and have several fund-
raisers 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.
On July 17, they will hold their first Chair-ity Auction. Harbourtown Fine Arts Center collected donations of chairs that will be decorated by 45 area artists. These unique works of art will be sold at the auction.
The Opera House is a hidden treasure, com- plete with original curtains, polished wooden chairs, ornate woodwork, and stained glass win- dows. 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 raised and lowered using hemp ropes,” Chapple said.
Now, the Town Hall and Opera House could have an equally colorful future, thanks to local
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