Brandon Town Hall

The Brandon Town Hall, closed to the public since 1979, is the heart of the historic district of Brandon,

Vermont. For more than 100 years it stood as the civic and cultural center of Brandon, and a beacon of

community spirit. After 30 years, it was opened by a group of concerned citizens and called The Friends of the Brandon Town Hall (FOTH). Through their efforts the Town Hall has thrived and has returned as a focal point of cultural and economic development in Brandon The Brandon Town Hall was constructed in 1861, just in time to send off the first 113 of 124 men to fight in the Civil War. Though it has functioned as both an armory and town jail, the main purpose of the

Town Hall has always been to serve as an adaptable, accessible venue for community gatherings. During

its first 100 years, the building regularly hosted theater troupes; vaudevillians; concerts; lectures; clubs; dances and balls; spiritual meetings; Brandon High School events (until the “new” school was built in 1916) and town government meetings. Before its closure, the Town Hall served for more than two

decades as a safe haven and activity center for the youth of the town. The final town meeting was held in the Hall in March of 1979. Since then, the town government has used the basement for offices and until 2007, the main hall for storage.

The National Register of Historic Places lists the Brandon Town Hall as “among Vermont's most

elaborate municipal buildings”. The presence of such an impressive building in a relatively small

Vermont town makes it a visual anchor and a potent symbol of the community, its history and its values.

That community spirit is still alive and well in Brandon and we are now promoting the building's restoration as a full-fledged Community Center.

The Friends of the Brandon Town Hall (FOTH) was formed in 1998 by a group of citizens wanting to

bring the abandoned building back to life and make it a community center for one and all. In 2005, the

Friends received it's Non-Profit status from the IRS. To date approximately $1,000,000.00 (1 million) worth of upgrades and renovations to the Town Hall

have been completed, including the installation of new marble front steps and railings, the re-pointing of

masonry, repair of the slate roof and painting of exterior wood and metal work. A handicap accessible lift has been installed to provide access to the main hall from the basement entrance along with new stairs from the basement to the main floor and an automatic handicap accessible door downstairs. A complete

fire suppression system was installed in 2009. In addition, improvements have been made to the portico platform with bluestone to closely match the original stone, a major upgrade of the building's electrical system to accommodate theatrical lighting and audiovisual equipment. We have also installed an adaptable and full featured audiovisual system including a high definition video projector and theater sized movie screen. With the generous support of the Brandon Artists Guild and Brandon Town Players, we were able to reinforce the Hall's theatrical rigging system, install a new grand drape, onstage curtains and theatrical lighting. The Brandon Town Players were also instrumental in reinforcing the main stage, apron and adding two side performance areas. We have also been able, through two matching grants from the Vermont Arts Council, to restore all 13 of the large windows in the upper hall and a complete restoration of the 100 year old stage. The Town of Brandon has taken over the responsibilities of

maintenance on the building and recently installed a heating system in the upper hall, cleaned out the attic area and put in foam insulation which has helped with the heating.

In 2011 the Town Hall celebrated its 150th Anniversary and the town of Brandon celebrated its 250th

Anniversary. A large plaque was constructed and brass plates were sold to commemorate the Town Hall's 150th anniversary. To date over 200 plates at $150 have been sold raising $30,000 dollars towards

building the bathrooms. An anonymous donor added another $100 per plate to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the town for each of the first 150 plates ($15,000 total). The Town Hall has been a focal point for celebrations with a town picture, presentation of proclamations, art shows, birthday cake and a Halloween portrait on the steps of the hall by the students of the Neshobe School. By adding the new restrooms, lobby area, green room, upgrading the heating system and building a staircase from the backstage to the basement area, we will be able to provide year round programming. Since the basement area is heated and will be able to accommodate small winter activities, it will become user friendly and handicap accessible for everyone in Brandon and the surrounding area. Another benefit of the Town Hall is the economic impact it has on the town itself. By using a local contractor we have increased their job  opportunities. Shops, businesses, restaurants, food stores, Inns and

gas stations have all enjoyed a resurgence especially when a program is taking place in the Town Hall. This obviously stabilizes the employment opportunities for all the businesses in town. A variety of

programs have been scheduled to meet the needs of all the members of the community from many free

events to children's programs. With the addition of the bathrooms, we will be able to provide more events

for elementary, middle and high school students. We have hosted large conferences, Otter Valley High

School events, put together a monthly Silent Movie Festival and opened our doors to local groups such as the Brandon Artists Guild, Girl Scouts, Select Board, Planning Commission, dances, theatrical

productions, comedy shows, lectures and singing groups.

The support from the Brandon community for the Brandon Town Hall restoration projects could not be more encouraging. The town has now taken budgeted money and put it in a special account to cover the

cost for all maintenance, repair, security and some restoration of the building, lifting a large financial

burden from FOTH. Because of the generosity of the town, we have been able to put aside our Annual

Campaign for the immediate future. FOTH will be responsible for all performances, and events in the

upstairs hall from April 15 to mid December ending with Moonlight Madness and is responsible for all

stage lighting, sound and inside restoration.