North Hampton’s Centennial Hall celebrates $30K grant to restore historic ballroom

NORTH HAMPTON — The Friends of Centennial Hall Inc. is the recipient of a $30,000 matching grant from N.H.’s Land and Community Heritage Investment Program to continue their efforts in restoring the historic building.

Gov. Chris Sununu announced $4.3 million in matching grants last week to support 34 land conservation and historic preservation projects across the state by the New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP). The grants will assist municipalities, nonprofit organizations community groups in permanently conserving more than 2,700 acres of significant land in all ten counties of the state and rehabilitating 17 historic structures, including Centennial Hall in North Hampton.

The Friends of Centennial Hall is a nonprofit whose mission is to preserve, renovate and maintain the 1876 building for joint use by the public and private citizens.

The funds will be used in efforts to open the second-floor ballroom in the building for use by the community.

North Hampton dead zoneTown may use eminent domain on homeowners' land to add cell tower

“We are very appreciative of LCHIP’s continued investment in our three-phase mission to fully restore all four floors of historic Centennial Hall,” said Marcy Milne McCann, president of the board of directors and acting executive director. “This is our fourth LCHIP award that has helped underwrite many significant renovation projects, including a new slate roof, restoration to 44 original windows, clapboard repair and painting of the 8,400-square foot building.”

McCann said they have made major progress in efforts to open the building's second-floor ballroom to the public by restoring heat and installing a full building sprinkler system.

“This award together with other funding will bring us closer to our goal of completing phase two: re-plastering and painting the 18 feet ceiling and walls; refinishing the original grand white oak stairway, doors and floors to open this space for rental opportunities.”

The Friends of Centennial Hall have been working to restore the 1876 structure since taking over ownership of the building in 1998. The group has raised funds and received a number of grants to return the building back to its former glory.

Sununu toured the building in 2020.

“I’ve probably driven by this building for the past 20 years,” he said at the time. “To be able to come in and see how the phases have played out into making the building a fully functioning operation along with the opportunity you can see in the upper floors [stage] area is pretty impressive.”

Coach Club:New indoor country club for golfers tees off in North Hampton

LCHIP grant recipients are required to match each dollar contributed with a minimum of one additional dollar, and to complete the funded projects according to the program’s rigorous standards.

This year’s awards of $4.3 million will be matched by more than $15 million in funding from other public and private sources, infusing a total of more than $19 million into the state’s economy in direct project activity. Recipients are expected to complete funded work within two years.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: North Hampton’s Centennial Hall gets $30K grant to restore ballroom