Town Hall History

Saybrook Century: Barrymore and More

     In the year before the birth of the actress who made the Borough of Fenwick famous, a cultural awakening occurred on the Connecticut shoreline. An author and printer named Joseph Cone had the idea in 1906 that Old Saybrook citizens could raise the funds to build a permanent home for the Musical and Dramatic Club– “a building suitable for town and social purposes.” It would become a venue for plays, minstrel shows, silent movies, lectures, dances and concerts. Cone’s idea was enthusiastically embraced. Land on Main Street was purchased for $400 and by 1911 when the Town Hall was completed, at a cost of $20,000, Old Saybrook was one of Connecticut’s cultural gems. For many decades, the enterprise flourished, until the Colonial Revival building was converted to town offices.

     Now, a century after Cone’s brainstorm, his idea is reborn. The space on Main Street that once welcomed some of the most distinguished names in theatre – including Ethel Barrymore, Norma Terris, Irene Rich, Henry Hull, and the man who taught Frank Sinatra how to dance, Donald Brian – will again host native and national talent.

Town Hall Restoration Committee
Walter S. Hirsch, Chairman
Elaine Staplins, Secretary
Wilma Asch, Treasurer
Roland Laine
Velma Thomas
J. H. Torrance Downes

Architects:  East Wharf Architects - Tom MacDonald and Lisa McCartney