Salem Old Town Hall
For almost 200 years the Old Town Hall in Salem’s Derby Square has been a central fixture of this historic seaport city. The Federal style municipal building is a joy for students of the Federal period as it exhibits features of Salem’s number one architectural son Samuel McIntire and his contemporary Charles Bulfinch. (As an aside Bulfinch’s only other surviving Salem building stands a few yards away next to Reds Sandwich Shop.)
Old Town Hall Salem MA
For a while now various groups have been holding events there and using the space for all sorts of fun stuff. A little over one year ago we discussed a few plans that people had floated regarding the future usage of the Old Town Hall. The outcome was that since Gordon College does a fine job with its Cry Innocense program that they would become stuarts of the stucture and use it to promote the Arts and Community.
Continuing with this spirit of arts, education, community and entertainment the good folks over at Gordon College have opened their doors to you on their new website www.SalemOldTownHall.com.
Time Travel Days at the Old Town Hall
The Gordon College Institute for Public History announces a collaborative festival for residents and visitors providing opportunities to interact with Salem’s rich and diverse history. Time Travel Days is looking for musicians, performers, venders, and presenters to provide programming for students, history buffs and the community at large. Programming may be from any time period, but must be related to Salem.
Potential programming participants are invited to submit a response to the call for proposals. Programmers whose proposals are selected may be required to submit an additional application.
To find out more about this program and to download a application head over to their website.
*Sigh* Am I the only one who was a bit disappointed and saddened to see the city give this treasure to a non-Salem based, tourist based business? Everyone is always complaining about how small the City Council chambers are, why not move them to the second floor hall and ask the Salem Arts Association or Main Streets to run a public art gallery, for free, on the first floor? The second floor could have been a public space and a public athenaeum hall for Council meetings, lectures, music. Now it’s just another witch gimmick. Permanently.
Chaz, It would appear you are in the minority. I too wish that a Salem based group could run the Old Town Hall but Gordon College is doing a good job so far. I don’t agree with your “witch gimmick” assessment as I’ve seen art shows, belly dance performance, opera, festivals and fairs there. So they are not just banking on the hokey played out witch tourist angle.
With the exception of municipal meetings which they probably don’t have the lighting, sound and power for (since all that stuff is broadcast on local cable) they are doing much of what you want to see happen there.
we did Rebel Shakespeare on the steps here last summer and will be doing it again in July and August. No witches were gimmicked there for sure.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amusings/sets/72157606989905931/
just romeo and juliet.
They also do the people vs. bridget bishop here, which is a gordon based “history alive” program written by my friend mark stevick…
i like that the location is being actively and historically used. i don’t see it as a witch gimmick sort of thing.
Salem has been a tourist destination at least since the 1850′s when the Salem 7 Lowell Railroad provided an easy way for tourists from Lowell to stay at the Lowell island House on what we now call Children’s Island. For better or worse, we have been making & marketing Salem history , it’s period houses and anything else we thought we could make a dollar on for over 150 years.