Built in 1929 as a gathering hall for local farmers, the historic Glastonbury Grange on Naubuc Avenue has taken on a new life recently.
Purchased by a local development partnership in 2021, the more than 5,000-square-foot hall has undergone numerous improvements and opened as an event venue last summer as the Glastonbury Theater.
The painstaking renovations were done with eye toward preserving and enhancing the hall’s historic charms and has included using authentic New England Colonial-era paint colors - such as green and mustard yellow - as well as hiring a firm that specializes in plaster preservation to restore the building’s original plaster walls.
Today the main meeting room of the hall - which serves as the central event space - features soaring 18-foot coffered ceilings, original white oak floors, floor-to-ceiling windows with new custom draperies, and a full stage at the far end of the room.
Tamie Myers, who manages the facility, said the space can hold up to 100 people and since opening last year it has hosted numerous gatherings, including weddings, corporate meetings, concerts and private parties.
The roughly 5,000-square-foot hall sits on about a half-acre lot. Tamie says some of the unseen improvements that make the hall an exceptional event venue include all-new, state-of-the-art electrical and AV systems, perfect for concerts, wedding DJs, presentations, conferences, and performances that can be held on the hall’s large stage.
“We can fit a 10-piece band on that stage!” Tamie says.
Recent staged events, she adds, included a comedy show and a concert by a Michael Jackson impersonator.
Some of the services the venue offers include linens and table rentals, an in-house bartender, event consultation and access to premium vendors, including “caterers and talented florists for stunning arrangements and décor.”
True to its local roots, the Glastonbury Theater has also hosted community events, including a two-day “Taste of Glastonbury,” which featured local restaurants and caterers.
“That was a really big and popular event,” Tamie says.
The hall’s management is currently undertaking additional renovations to the ground floor of the building that will include improved and expanded bathrooms, a smaller event space for more intimate meetings and parties, and a kitchen that caterers can use.
“All of the renovations will stay true to the building’s historic character, Tamie says.
Glastonbury Theater
43 Naubuc Ave.
Online: Glastonburytheater.com
On Social: @Glastonburytheater
860-652-8288
info@glastonburytheater.com