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Melrose Memorial Hall is formally known as the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Building. Memorial Hall was originally erected as a memorial to the Union Veterans of the American Civil War, but now serves as a memorial to all service men and women from Melrose who died for their country across the years.

Veterans play a key role in the life of building. Veterans organizations often hold meetings and commemorative ceremonies, and the Board of Trustees must have a least two veterans as members.

Many civic organizations use the Hall as well, including the Melrose Youth Ballet and the Melrose Symphony Orchestra.

Design The stage is 30’x40’ and has intricate woodwork at the back, made from butternut wood, which covers the organ and its pipes. The wings contain dressing rooms and the Memorial Hall office.

The main floor, facing the stage has built-in seats in a U formation around the side and back walls of the space. The open part of the main floor is 64’ x 59’. This space can hold up to 800 in an auditorium set up, or 250-300 with table seating.

On the second floor, on the street side of the building is the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Hall. The space is 30’ x 52’ to which a fully appointed kitchen is attached. The GAR hall can handle up to 100 people.

The lowest level, beneath the GAR Hall has bathrooms.

Memorial Organ

In November 1919 a large municipal organ was dedicated as a memorial to the veteran’s of the Great War which had just ended. A gift of Melrose resident John C.F. Slayton, the organ cost $75,000 at the time, or the equivalent of almost $1.3 million in 2023. The organ was built by the Austin Organ company of Hartford, CT, as is Opus #851. It has 5,500 pipes ranging in length from 1/2 an inch to 32 feet.

Mr. Slayton said at the time that he made this gift "recognizing the desirability of developing the musical sentiment of our Community, and wishing to offer a Memorial to those of our boys who have paid the last great price, and to all soldiers and sailors of Melrose, who during the World War have laid their all on the altar of human liberty,”

Uses:

The hall is used for a variety of events including, Boxing matches, Gala balls for Melrose 100th anniversary in 2000 and Memorial hall 100th anniversary in 2012, School recitals, performances by the Melrose youth ballet and Annual town wide Spelling Bee.

During the Covid 2019 Pandemic, the hall was used to set up vaccination clinics since the large space could be used for safe social distancing.

Melrose Symphony Orchestra

Memorial Hall is the home of the Melrose Symphony Orchestra, said to be the oldest continuously performing volunteer orchestra in the United States. The symphony was founded in 1918. The current director of the symphony since 1997 is Yoichi Udagawa.

Notable performances

For many years, 1999-2007, Tommy Makem held a concert on the weekend nearest St. Patrick’s day. On several occasion he was joined on stage by one or more of his sons, The Makeham Brothers.

Arlo Guthrie gave a concert in 2008 as part of his Lost World Tour.

The Dropkick Murphys played a private event in 2018.

Other notable persons

Calvin Coolidge, then Lieutenant-Governor attended a service flag dedication in 1918.

Arizona Senator John McCain made a campaign stop for Scott Brown at Memorial hall in 2012.

The following Massachusetts Governors have visited memorial hall. Charlie Baker - 2010, 2016. Deval Patrick 2007. Channing Cox - 1922. John L. Bates - 1919.

References