The future of the Jeanne Gordon Hall in Wallaceburg is currently up in the air due to ongoing concerns involving fire safety.
With the building’s lease agreement up for renewal, Wallaceburg Museum officials have been involved in ongoing talks with Chatham-Kent Building Development Services regarding the use of the hall, which is located above the King Street museum.
Henry Van Haren, president of the Wallaceburg and District Historical Society, said due to fire safety regulations, changes may need to be made to occupancy levels and what types of events/activities can be held in the space.
Due to those same fire safety requirements, the museum was restricted from using the Jeanne Gordon Hall for theatre performances back in 2015.
“We decided not to use the theatre as such, but we were still using the hall for meetings and different shows,” said Van Haren.
Since 2015, the Jeanne Gordon Hall has been used to host business meetings, martial arts classes, drama camps, yoga classes, wedding receptions, worship services, concerts, lectures, workshops, birthday parties, office parties, and more.
Bringing the hall up to code would cost over $500,000, Van Haren said. This would include installing fire curtains and a sprinkler system.
Van Haren said the museum is still waiting on clarification on what changes now need to be made to ensure the continued use of the hall.
“So far not a lot of clear answers but we are hoping that in the next little while we’ll get an idea as to what kind of shows and what kind of occupancy we can have up in the theatre,” he said.
While the issue remains under discussion, the museum will not be accepting any requests to rent the space.
“I am hoping in the next few days we’ll get some answers but I think it’s going to be a drawn-out process to get the lease agreement changed to our mutual benefit,” said Van Haren.
Museum officials say they will be making further announcements about the hall in the near future.
In the meantime, the Wallaceburg Museum has been closed for the month of October to transform it into a haunted museum in time for Halloween.