From the Village of Richmond:

Memorial Hall Special Announcement

As you may have heard, changes are headed for the Village of Richmond.

Memorial Hall has served many purposes throughout the years since it was gifted by Charles DeWitt McConnell, the grandson of Village founder William McConnell.

In 1908 the first Village board meeting was held inside the walls of the newly constructed landmark.

It has served as a meeting place for theater performances, basketball games, the police department, village hall, food pantry, and various events that brought the community together. 

After so many years the Village Hall and Police Department were moved offsite.

Memorial Hall was used less frequently and fell silent in between private events and annual Christmas of Yesteryear each December.

With Memorial Hall standing firmly at the heart of downtown, and aging more than 100 years, Village officials garnered ideas on how to revitalize this staple of the community.

Initial investments on structural and cosmetic upgrades were completed but the Village’s fiscal duty to all taxpayers first and foremost is to fund essential infrastructure and services that improve the quality of life in this Village we call home.

Budget constraints left little room for the renovations necessary and tough decisions had to be made.

Thus, believing it was truly in the best interest of the survival of this building, to be maintained and improved to its fullest potential, the building was sold this month to a local private investor whose vision is what we always believed Memorial Hall could be one day, in the right hands.

Village officials weighed heavily on the transition of this building and decided it was the right thing to do to honor the gift that Charles DeWitt McConnell bestowed on the Village of Richmond and give Memorial Hall a new breath of life, serving a new purpose, and acting as a beautiful gathering place for events once again.

We are elated to be able to share with you today the preliminary sketches of what Memorial Hall is to become; Preserving its unique architecture and grand appearance as the heart of Richmond.