Chandler Music Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Chandler Music Hall and Bethany Parish House
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 Location in Vermont
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| Location | 71 Main St., Randolph, Vermont |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1907 |
| Built by | Teachout, W. S. |
| Architect | Ernest N. Boyden |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000196 |
| Added to NRHP | July 16, 1973 |
The Chandler Music Hall (also known as the Chandler Center for the Arts) is a special old building in Randolph, Vermont. It's a place where people go to enjoy music and other performances.
This building was constructed in 1907. It was designed to be both a music hall and a "parish house" for the nearby Bethany Church. A parish house is like a community center for a church. The Chandler Music Hall has one of the best-preserved old theater interiors in northern New England.
Today, the town owns the building. It is still used for many fun events. The part that used to be the parish house is now an art gallery. Because of its history and unique design, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. It was listed as the Chandler Music Hall and Bethany Parish House.
Looking at the Building
The Chandler Music Hall is in downtown Randolph. You can find it on the east side of Main Street. It's a large building with two stories. It is made from strong concrete blocks and has a unique sloping roof.
The building has an old-fashioned style, with arched doorways. There are two main entrances for the theater. Another entrance leads to what used to be the parish house. The windows are a mix of round and rectangular shapes. The theater entrances are under a small, sloped roof that sticks out from the building.
Inside the Hall
When you go inside the theater, you first enter a small lobby area called a vestibule. Here, you'll find a ticket booth. Stairs on both sides of the vestibule lead up to the balcony.
The main performance area is called the auditorium. It has a wooden floor that slopes down towards the stage. The balcony is held up by columns with special tops called Doric capitals. There are also theater boxes on each side near the stage. The stage itself has a colorful arch around it. The ceiling of the entire space is made of pressed metal, which looks very decorative.
How it All Started
The idea for building the music hall came about in 1905. At that time, two churches, the Christian Church and the Congregational Church, decided to join together. They were very similar and even shared a minister.
After they agreed to merge, a man named Col. Albert B. Chandler offered to pay for a new music hall. It would be built where the old Christian Church used to stand. The new combined church, now called Bethany Church, agreed to pay for the attached parish house.
The music hall quickly became a very popular place for events in the area. It stayed popular until the end of World War II. After the war, fewer people used it, and it slowly became less active. In 1947, the theater was given to the town. The town has been running it ever since. In the 1970s, the church and the town made a deal. They exchanged the parish house section of the building for a house next to the church. That house now serves as the church's parish house.
