MECHANICS HALL, Worcester, MA
N 42° 15.935 W 071° 48.065
19T E 268979 N 4683063
Built in 1857, by the Worcester County Mechanics Association, Mechanics Hall may rank among the world's finest concert halls and is internationally regarded for its superb acoustics. It is located at 321 Main Street in downtown Worcester, the second largest city in New England. Log a visit if you have attended a concert, event or tour.
Waymark Code: WM1YK
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 09/26/2005
Views: 124
Called "the showpiece of a city where the arts thrive," by Horizon Magazine, Mechanics Hall has been judged by architectural historians as the nation's finest pre-Civil War concert hall. For nearly 150 years, the Hall has been the cultural cornerstone of Central Massachusetts and is ideally located in downtown Worcester. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Worcester County Mechanics Association was formed as a non-profit organization in 1842 for the purpose of educating the city's industrial workers. The Association began to provide classes in the mechanical arts as well as cultural and political events for all members of the community.
By 1857, it was clear the Mechanics Association required a building of its own, having outgrown its rented spaces. Under the guidance of the Associations's president, wire industrialist Ichabod Washburn, the Mechanics hired Elbridge Boyden to design and construct the building. When it was finished, Mechanics Hall was beautiful indeed, but it also represented the state-of-the-art in mechanical systems and construction techniques. Mechanics Hall is testimony to the skill and ingenuity of the artisans and tradesmen of Worcester County, which defined them as the founders of America's Industrial Revolution.
It is home to the Worcester Music Festival, the oldest music festival in the country established in 1859. Mechanics Hall served as a major political podium, particularly regarding the issues of abolition, women's suffrage and temperance.
For more information on Mechanics Hall's calendar, history, 1977 restoration, and the roll it plays in Worcester's renaissance, please check the website.