Adrian, MI – The Croswell plans to mark the 155th anniversary of that date with an open house from 3:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 19.
Guests will be invited to learn about the history of the theater through a video tour that will be played on the Croswell’s big screen every half hour throughout the afternoon and evening. Hosted by longtime Croswell artists John MacNaughton and Stephen Kiersey and featuring guest appearances by many Croswell performers, the video includes a virtual behind-the-scenes tour and stories from the theater’s past.
At 3:30 p.m., representatives from the Lenawee County Historical Society will be on hand to unveil a new marker, part of a historical society program that highlights structures of significance to the county’s history.
The Croswell was originally built as an all-purpose space for not just music and theater, but also events such as lectures, political rallies, school graduations, and community festivals. The first event hosted in the building was a lecture by temperance crusader John Bartholomew Gough. Notable guests in the theater’s early years included Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony.
When the theater opened, it was known as Adrian Union Hall; the Croswell name came about when former governor Charles Croswell bought a controlling interest in the building in the early 1880s.
In 1919, it was repurposed to show movies, a role it would fill for about 50 years. It was revived as a home for live theater in the late 1960s with the help of local businessman and philanthropist Charles Hickman, and is now owned and operated by a nonprofit organization that stages plays, musicals and concerts throughout the year.
For more information, visit croswell.org.
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