Thacher Hall Dedication

Start: Sunday, June 26, 2022 3:00PM
End: Sunday, June 26, 2022 5:00PM

Beginning June 26, the Yarmouth New Church, 266 Route 6A, Yarmouth Port, will be known as Thacher Hall, to honor one of Yarmouth’s founding families and to proclaim that the building is a secular venue for community events and the arts, welcoming all. The public is invited to celebrate this new chapter in this 1870 building’s history at 3 p.m. June 26, at a renaming and dedication ceremony on the Thacher Hall lawn facing the Yarmouth Port Common, followed by free refreshments and music by Blu Central and Ken Silvia in the Audience Room. One of the finest surviving examples of American Gothic architecture in New England, the 1870 church was built as a place of worship for the Swedenborgian faith. It was designed by Boston architect Samuel Thayer and constructed by local builder John Hinckley. The painted interior features gothic arches, classic stencils, stained glass windows and the original tracker pipe organ – very different from a traditional New England meetinghouse. The building is now owned by the Yarmouth New Church Preservation Foundation, which bought it for $1 to preserve and restore it, and create a secular community venue. More than $1 million in private donations and $750,000 in Community Preservation Act funds have gone to extensive exterior and interior restoration, climate control, septic, restrooms and the preservation of unique historic features such as the bell tower and stained glass windows. The building is now available for rent and open for concerts, weddings, art shows and community events like the Halloween Haunt. The name, Yarmouth New Church, however, has long been confusing to both the community and donors, since the building, over 150 years old, is neither “new” nor a “church.” The YNCPF board voted to rename it Thacher Hall out of respect for the Thacher family, a founding family of Yarmouth, who donated the land and were members of the original congregation. Their descendants will attend the celebration. Blu Central includes Lary Chaplan and Frank Poranski, known for their vocals and electric violin. They play a wide range of music including originals and covers from Tom Waits to Gioachino Rossini, as well as standards from the American Songbook. Ken Silvia performs guitar and vocals.