LYNNFIELD — With a newly-rejuvenated interior at the Old Meeting House and a new Meeting House website, the Lynnfield Historical Commission is ramping up its efforts to let folks know that the Meeting House is the perfect place for celebrations of all kinds.
Historical Commission Chair Kirk Mansfield said that after the town delegated the responsibility for the care and custody of the building to the Historical Commission in 2021, the commission worked closely with Town Administrator Rob Dolan to improve its existing charm and functionality.
“But we realized that there was one thing missing – and that was a way to promote rentals of the building,” said Mansfield. “We found that many of the residents either didn’t know the Meeting House could be rented or they didn’t know how to go about doing so.
“There was also some confusion because the previous caregivers of the building (the Lynnfield Historical Society, an independent charitable organization with no legal relationship with the town) still have a website for the building. We knew we needed to create an official website to promote and increase the rentals and let people know that Meeting House rentals are the responsibility of the town through the Historical Commission,” Mansfield contninued.
Enter Ryan Michalski, the son of commission member John Michalski, who created a comprehensive website that not only tells the public everything it needs to know about the process one must go through to rent the Meeting House, but shares the unique story of the house from its humble beginnings in 1713 when 32 men and one woman living in the parish established in 1712 as Lynnfield voted to build the Meeting House and set aside 130 pounds to pay for it.
“Now the residents and even non-residents can go online to view photos of the building’s interior, and learn about the rules and regulations as well as rental pricing,” Mansfield said.
Rentals are based on six hours which includes load in, set up, and load out. The fee for the main floor is $250 for residents and $300 for non-residents. The fee for the main floor and upstairs chapel is $450 for residents and $550 for non-residents. The Meeting House rental provides the applicant with exclusive use of the building and the beauty of the Lynnfield Common, but the Common is not included in the rental. Rentals include the use of seven 6’ round tables, four 4’ tables, and 70 folding chairs.
While rentals include the exclusive use of the building, the common is not included in the rental. The Meeting House (and the surrounding area) is a non-smoking facility. Event parking is available in the lower parking lot of the Lynnfield Town Hall across the street.
The Meeting House has served many purposes over the years, from a place of worship to firehouse. Mansfield said that for the last decade or so, the house has been used as an event venue for meetings, bridal showers and family gatherings and parties. Since the town took over management of the property, the Historical Commission has made a concerted effort to beautify the property and share the rich history of the Meeting House and Town Common with the public.
“The walls are now filled with framed photographs that display the history,” said Mansfield. “The old metal folding chairs and tables were replaced with more comfortable and aesthetically-pleasing furniture. Plans are underway to renovate the outdated galley kitchen, add more up-lighting to the exterior and return the wooden shutters to the exterior. We still have a lot of work to do, but the website was really an incredible effort to get this information out to the public.”
“We (the Historical Commission) cannot take much credit for the creation of the website, because it was Ryan who took it from start to finish,” Mansfield said. “We are very grateful for Ryan’s efforts and his parents should be extremely proud of what a great guy he is!”
Meeting House rentals can be arranged by contacting the Lynnfield Historical Commission by email.
Anne Marie Tobin can be reached at [email protected].
