CAPTION: The East entrance of Memorial Hall at 101 South Walnut in Downtown Hutchinson. CREDIT MICHAEL GLENN/THE HUTCHINSON TRIBUNE
By Gina Long
The Hutchinson City Council will host a public hearing on the future of Memorial Hall on Thursday, May 8, at 6 p.m. in the historic building located at 101 South Walnut Street.
Attendees will have an opportunity to discuss and offer input on any submitted Requests For Proposals (RFPs) to be presented at the May 6 city council meeting, two days prior.
The historic building has reached a critical juncture. It currently hosts events for the Community Concert Association, the Hutch Mini-con, boxing tournaments, fundraising galas, and many more private parties and celebrations. Last year, the Mexican Consulate in Kansas City ran a two-day mobile clinic to help people in the large area between Kansas City and Denver handle their affairs without needing to take 2-3 days for travel and appointments.
The former Convention Hall, built in 1911, has a storied history, having hosted three U.S. presidents and numerous musical talents, including Johnny Cash, Tina Turner, Willie Nelson, and Gene Autry.
The building is old and needed repairs have been put off for over thirty years. Structural deficiencies have required some of the top-level seating to be blocked off. The bathrooms badly need renovation.
The most pressing issue, however, is the air handling system and lack of air conditioning. The hall is generally not open from May 1 through September 30 of each year because our area’s increasingly longer and hotter summers render the building unusable.
I attended a crowded event in March, and the lack of airflow raised the inside temperature to an uncomfortable level even on a temperate end-of-winter day.
Memorial Hall has superb acoustics, and the Community Concert Association’s shows sound fantastic from any seat in the facility.
The venue is also one of the most affordable facilities to rent, and it hosts many fundraisers and activities run by local non-profits.
Unfortunately, the building incurs an operating net loss of just under $100,000 per year, and those funds could be diverted to repairing the city’s aging water lines and fixing more streets.
Renovations and updates would be expensive, but so would razing the building and converting the lot into more park space.
The prospects of an investor stepping in and purchasing the building seem slim.
So, what lies ahead?
Approximately thirty years ago, the citizens of Hutchinson voted to keep the building. The Hutchinson City Council will hear some RFPs during its regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. on May 6, followed by a community discussion at Memorial Hall on May 8 at 6 p.m. Information about the community discussion is on the city’s Facebook page.
Regardless of which option you prefer, this is your opportunity to let your voice be heard and to hear other community members bring their thoughts and ideas. Please attend.
