In The Newtown Bee’s new “Get To Know” series, we will feature a look at local buildings. Is there a building you would like to “get to know?” E-mail eliza@thebee.com to suggest a building. This is the first installment of the series.

Edmond Town Hall Operations Manager Sheila Torres answered questions about the building at 45 Main Street this week.

In what year was it purchased or built? The original building was completed in 1930. It was gifted by Elizabeth E. Hawley. She laid the cornerstone in May 1929.

Who or what entity owns or oversees the building? The Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers

How large is the building? 46,000 square feet

How many rooms does the building contain? It has seven tenant rental spaces and three large rental spaces, including the Alexandria Room banquet hall and the gymnasium.

What purpose/purposes does the building serve? This is a theater and events venue that provides many functions, including a movie and performance theater, a banquet hall, a gymnasium, seven tenant spaces, and four meeting rooms available for day rentals. Spaces are available at affordable rates for use by the community and neighbors. Our mission is to provide a place for generations of residents and neighbors to make memories by gathering to celebrate and enjoy arts, social, civic, sports, entertainment, and milestone events and activities.

What is one interesting fact about the building? It has had two additions. It has always served the community based on the needs of the day. For example, when the building first opened, it was the town’s first community center and it housed a post office, town offices, the theater, gymnasium, and a bowling alley. In 1950, as the town was growing, the Board of Managers completed an addition on the building using proceeds from the movies. That addition provided space for the tax assessor and collector and the selectman, and it greatly enlarged and improved quarters for the town’s Visiting Nurse Association (VNA). In 2006, the board completed another addition in order to install an ADA-compliant elevator.

What is the most common question you get about the building? “How old is this building?” 90 years old, since the building was completed.