Historic Hartland Music Hall

The historic Hartland Music Hall was a gift to the community of Hartland from John Robert Crouse, Sr. Mr. Crouse was a local philanthropist who performed many community services through a program he sponsored called the “Hartland Area Project.”

The Music Hall is the central structure of the beautiful settlement of Hartland. It was built by members of the First Congregational Church in 1858. It is one the oldest public buildings in Livingston County, an outstanding example of Greek Revival architecture.

The church was purchased by Mr. Crouse in the late 1920s for $500. The conversion from a church to the Hartland Music Hall was done in 1931 by Professor Emil Lorch, Dean of the University of Michigan School of Architecture. During the conversion to a music hall, a marvelous Kilgen pipe organ was installed and the magnificent column porticoes were added to the front of the building.

In February 1980, the Music Hall became another Livingston County structure to be included in the State Register of Historic Sites by the Michigan Historical Commission. On May 2, 1987, a dedication ceremony was held honoring the installation of the State of Michigan Historical marker on the front lawn of the Music Hall.

The Music Hall is used year-round by a local church, the Hartland Players, Encore Youth Theater, Boy Scout Court of Honor ceremonies, meetings, concerts, the annual performance of Handel’s Messiah each December, and many weddings.