Unity Hall History

Unity Hall was built in 1896 with funds raised by the women of the Unitarian Church of Barneveld.  It seems they were tired of holding all the church functions in their own homes.  Through ice cream socials and other means they raised $1,700, because if they were going to do this thing “they wanted to do it right!”  The building quickly became not only a center of activity for the church, but the entire community.

During the 1940’s, the Layman’s League, a precursor to the Rotary Club, used the Hall extensively.  Dinners were put on every month and they became the centerpiece of social life in Barneveld.

In the 1950’s, as television became a way of life, use of the Hall declined and it was really only used for church functions.  The building itself went through a period of decline.

In 1993, local resident and Unitarian Church member George Landecker decided he would find a way to bring the Hall back to the center of community life that it had once been.  When George set his mind to something it always got done.  He found allies in other longtime residents, instrumental among them Betsy Beil Mack and Edward Hinge. They formed the Unity Hall Foundation and set in motion a plan to bring the Hall back to life. 

A major restoration of the Hall was undertaken with guidance from Landecker, Mack, Ed and Bill Hinge, Mary Rebecca Ferris and Marietta von Bernuth.  In 1995, with the building even more splendid than the day it first opened, Unity Hall reopened to the community.

Disaster struck the Hall in the winter of 2000 when a ruptured pipe in the heating system caused a leak that seriously damaged not only the floor of the second floor theater and portions of the walls and ceilings on the first floor, but also stained the beautiful woodwork of the second floor walls and the theater area's arched ceiling.  Fortunately the damage was discovered and contained in time to avert a catastrophe.  Thanks to an effective response and good insurance,  the repairs and restoration project resulted in a safer, sounder and more usable Hall.

Today Unity Hall is once again a center of community life; hosting concerts, recitals, dramatic performances and many private functions including wedding receptions and the like.  113 years old and still going strong!