Central School / Central School Auditorium

This is the third “modern” school built on this site since 1852. When Central School was dedicated on February 5, 1931, the citizens of Hastings celebrated “eight decades of progress.” Lansing architect Warren S. Holmes designed the building with the most up-to-date facilities. The kindergarten suite included a playroom equipped with a tiled aquarium, an electrical fireplace and sand piles. Tile friezes of the animal kingdom decorate the room. The school also had a sound-proof music room and a science room with growing boxes and a photography darkroom. The auditorium, which seats 1,136, provided the community with its first facility for live theater. Central School Auditorium On the eve of Central School´s dedication in 1931 the Hastings Banner noted: “Other rooms in the school have been designed primarily to serve the teachers and pupils, but the auditorium has been built to serve the entire community.” Hastings had a truly modern facility for staging live theater. During the 1990s the deteriorating auditorium was restored. The project included refinishing the 1,136 seats, arranged on a slope to provide a clear view for the audience. In addition, damaged acoustical material on the ceiling and walls of the auditorium was repaired. Stage curtains and drops are manipulated by the original counterbalanced system, and a central switchboard controls all of the lighting. The auditorium is also equipped for film projection.