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Since being built in
1872, Harlan Hall has served many roles. Originally, it was an opera house
with a stable on the first floor and it later served as a Moose Lodge. After
being threatened with demolition for a parking lot, the building attracted
the attention of local advocates who pushed for saving it. The City
purchased the building in 1999 (with the help of a state grant) in order to
turn it into a community center. Marshall has also received a grant from the
Illinois National Road Association, with the intention of creating a
National Road (U.S. Rte. 40) Welcome Center on the building’s second floor.
The project was also largely funded by local fundraising efforts, including
a “Buy a Seat” program to purchase new tables and chairs, and one $100,000
donation from a local business. Over 25,000 volunteer hours were put into
the building’s preservation. The building now hosts a variety of community
organizations and events, from a senior citizen lunch program to the high
school prom.
Photo credits: Harlan
Hall Committee
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