New life continues to be breathed back into East Hampton’s cultural center, Guild Hall, which is taking another step toward completing its renovation plans. Recent renovations were completed in the Guild Hall theater, just one part of the center’s $29 million capital improvement project.
At 158 Main Street, Guild Hall has created a rich history. The 93-year-old regional cultural center has been the location of American actress Gwen Vernon’s benefit dance festivals, where Edward Albee, the American playwright who is remembered for his works The Zoo Story and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolfe?, directed theater during the 1970s, and where Pulitzer Prize winner Thornton Wilder starred in his own play, Our Town.
Yet, the summer seasons filled the cultural center with even more stars, including Olivia de Haviland, Christopher Plummer, Geroge C. Scott, and even Bela Lugosi in his defining “Dracula” role.
While Guild Hall has an impressive resume as the location where many talented individuals performed, the building’s physical limitations ultimately added restrictions on what could be showcased there. Andrea Grover, executive director of Guild Hall, stated, “We used to close the building to receive art, and the semis would back up to the front doors and try to unload works that barely fit through… The doors were 6-foot, 8-inches high, and 5-feet wide, like household doors.”
Hoping to raise awareness of this historic institution while adding better functionality and restoring beauty, Guild Hall announced a two-year improvement project plan in 2021 that touches almost all aspects of the 24,000-square-foot building and the 46,000-square-foot property. With the ultimate goal being to broaden the scope of its programming and free the building of former restrictions, the improvement project includes restoring and renovating the theater, the three gallery spaces, outdoor areas, entrances, lighting, and adding amenities such as a cafe.
Last summer, the cultural center saw the completed renovattion of its offices, and an art handling section was built, with larger doors (8 feet tall and 6 feet wide) being installed. More doors have been removed from Guild Hall, as well as cornices and trims, to make space for more wall space for displays.
Most recently, the theater at Guild Hall, which opened in 1931, finished completion, which was aided by the generosity of its board of trustees and other supporters, who contributed to the theater’s $29 million goal. This “landmark gift” was a contribution made by the Morgan family, which the venue said “enabled the complete transformation of the theater,” which is now called the Hilarie and Mitchell Morgan Theater. While the amount of the donation was not disclosed, Guild Hall Trustee Hilarie Morgan and her husband, Mitchell Morgan, stated in a news release, “We’ve had meaningful and inspiring experiences in this theater, and we hope this gift will ensure it remains a special place for future generations.”
The circus-tent ceiling motif and balloon chandelier remain a part of the theater, while new elements, including moldings and wallcoverings, were updated to reflect the theater’s 1930s design. Removing the non-original doors at the entrance improved the flow throughout the theater, and theater seating features prime orchestra seats and broader, more comfortable chairs.
Helping celebrate the renovation is Broadway’s Kinky Boots performer Billy Porter, who will host the benefit concert An Evening with Billy Porter on Friday, July 12, at 8 p.m. Guests are encouraged to dress in “creative attire” for the celebration.
