History of the Music Hall

The Methuen Memorial Music Hall, Inc. first opened in 1909 as the Serlo Organ Hall.  Built by Edward F. Searles, the Hall is home to the Great Organ, the first concert pipe organ in the United States. It was originally installed in 1863 in the Boston Music Hall.  Mr. Searles purchased the pipe organ in 1897, moving it to Methuen and commissioning esteemed architect Henry Vaughn to design a home fit for the beautiful instrument. The building was named Serlo Organ Hall.

After Mr. Searles’ passing, the music hall and adjacent factory continued through several private owners.  In the 1940s, the property reverted to bank ownership. Shortly after, a group of area professionals took ownership and formed the nonprofit known as the Methuen Memorial Music Hall, Inc. to use the building as a cultural center for the community. Since 1946, the Board of Trustees has overseen the Hall, welcomed organists and other musicians to the Hall for concerts, and hosted
countless weddings and other ceremonies.

For more than 75 years, our Summer Concert Series has brought exciting young organists and world-renowned artists to the Methuen stage. In the 1980s Ellen S. Meuse, with the support area music teachers, formed the Methuen Young People’s Theatre (MYPT) as a way to expand the Hall’s mission to bring music and the arts to the community.  Since then, MYPT presents a full Gilbert & Operetta production each year with a cast of 4th – 12th grade students.  Additional information can be found in our Youth Programs section.  In 2022 the Board initiated the Fall Variety Series, a set of concerts to highlight not only the Great Organ but other musical genres. The Series welcomes everything from classical to modern, jazz to folk, played on an assortment of instruments that draws an audience from childhood through retirement.