Built in 1882 by the International Order of Good Templars, Bayside Temperance Hall has served the community for 143 years! It has provided space for meetings, live music, worship, voting, community dinners, lecture series, education, celebrations and special events. Many dance classes have been offered here, including square dance, ballet and international folk dance.
The Bayside Grange was chartered in 1932. Grangers met at the Temperance Hall until the large grange hall was built in 1942 next to the Temperance Hall. A point of pride, the Temperance Hall has been continuously owned and maintained by Bayside organizations since 1882. In 2013, the deed and legal ownership of the Hall and property were transferred to local nonprofit, Bayside Corners.
For 30 years, the Temperance Hall has been used by Mistwood Educational Center, a private, nonprofit school with an extraordinary academic program for grades K-12. After the corona virus pandemic, Bayside Corners’ board resumed quarterly meetings and has made Hall rehabilitation and site improvements its priority project.
Local gathering places are as important as ever to overcome social isolation and foster healthy neighborhoods. This Bayside placemaking project to beautify and make useful a declining public space is part of a national placemaking effort to strengthen our communities.