Hartington City Auditorium

The Liberty Building was the original name given to the modern community building known today as the Hartington City Auditorium. The campaign for the building began in 1919 and included the passing of several bond issues to bring it to completion. It was completed in 1923 at a final cost of eighty-five thousand dollars. 

The brick-clad, 2-story building was designed by architect William Steele in the prairie style.  Prairie School architecture is rare, and it is particularly unusual in rural Nebraska especially for having been built in the 1920s.  The Guarantee Construction Company of Sioux City obtained the contract and began work in the spring of 1922, with the cornerstone laid on June 7 of that year. Local labor was hired to do most of the work. Part of the contract was that the brick would be purchased and hauled from Sioux City instead of coming from the local brick factory. This was a contentious issue among many residents. The designs contained city offices, the fire house, a gymnasium and national guard armory for returning soldiers from the first World War, as well as a stage for ceremonies.

January 30, 1923, was the official dedication ceremonies featuring speeches, displays of local talent, and a free dance. The new building was declared to be one of the finest of its kind in the state and a credit to this community. 

In the years that followed, residents delighted in the plays, dances and variety shows. Schools utilized the gymnasium for sporting events. Meetings were held in the auditorium and the Home Guards used the facility to organize during the Second World War. In time, the city offices and fire house moved out in the need of more space allowing for storage and additional events in the building.  In 1962, during the cold war, the Auditorium was designated as the town “fall-out” shelter.

It was placed on the Register of Historic Places in Nebraska in 1983.

The corner stone address was given by Reverend John Pablucki, an army chaplain who endeared himself to the legions of men returning home from war. The cornerstone reads, Hartington City Hall 1922 A.D.

The walk inside the building reveals the uniquely designed archways that give entry into the gymnasium and expansive theater area. In the early days, there was seating for elen hundred people, as opera seats once filled the main level and balcony of the auditorium, all facing the stage. A balcony once extended over the archway entryways, with access from the side stairways that are currently blocked off at the top of the stairs. The balcony gave the theater a grand appearance. The were once filled for the many speakers and traveling productions that were brought in. The stage is original to the building along with the stage curtains with the H at the center of the upper front. Consider the community productions provided on this very stage over the years!

Hartington City Hall and Auditorium, Wikipedia. Accessed December 27th, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hartington_City_Hall_and_Auditorium.

,Hartington History Book Committee. Hartington 140 Years. Hartington, Ne. Cedar County News, 2024.