A gleaming new concert, theater, dinner and meeting space will be unveiled to the public at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday in downtown Davis.

Members of the Davis Odd Fellows Lodge will host the event at 4:30 p.m. at their hall at 415 Second St., along with representatives of the Davis Chamber of Commerce. The remodeled upper hall will be showcased; refreshments will be available.

“The project took three months to complete,” said Dave Rosenberg, president of the Hall Board Association, “and we are very proud of the results. The Odd Fellows are delighted to open this great new venue in the heart of our downtown to the public.”

The Odd Fellows Hall is available for public and private rentals, subject to availability. The hall has been used for weddings, receptions, book-signings, memorials, birthdays, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, conferences, lectures, business meetings, educational seminars, concerts and music events and community meetings.

“The upper hall is 2,500 square feet and can accommodate 200 for seated dinners, 250 in theater-style seating and 300 for music events,” said operations manager Dody Black.

The lower hall, refurbished several years ago, is 2,250 square feet and can seat 128 for dinner, 150 in a theater and 200 for music venues.

“We have rented both upper and lower halls for big events with 500 people,” she said.

The upper hall remodeling project was done by Dion Davies and Specialized Construction.

The hall was built in 1955 and, over the past five years, has undergone extensive renovation and remodeling. A new stainless steel commercial kitchen was built, and the lower hall was completely remodeled with new carpeting, chandeliers and wood paneling.

New restrooms were installed upstairs and downstairs. An elevator was added for accessibility, and a new roof was put on the building. The last major segment of the remodel project was the upper hall.

“The upper hall is particularly striking,” Rosenberg said. “It has a great stage at one end, a large floor area suitable for a big group, lovely chandeliers, dramatic lighting effects and great character.

“Some have said the Upper Hall reminds them of a large banquet hall in a castle.”

The Odd Fellows Hall is owned jointly by the Davis Odd Fellows Lodge No. 169 (chartered in 1870) and the Davis Rebekah Lodge No. 253 (chartered in 1901). The two lodges own and operate the hall through a Hall Board Association composed of six members: Rosenberg; Barbara Geisler, vice president; Bob Bockwinkel, treasurer; Lea Rosenberg, secretary; and Marge Fagan and Dave Reed, board members.

Black runs the day-to-day operation of the hall. She may be reached for rental inquiries at [email protected].

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A storage room will be remodeled into a meeting room, but now holds such treasures as original Odd Fellows signs and a framed collection of grand encampment pins. Here, Dave Rosenberg checks out an old sign. Fred Gladdis/Enterprise photo

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Memorabilia is on display at the Odd Fellows’ newly refurbished upper hall. Fred Gladdis/Enterprise photo

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Dody Black, left, and Lea Rosenberg show off some Odd Fellows and Rebekahs regalia in a display cabinet in the upper hall. Fred Gladdis/Enterprise photo

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Staging the stage at the new upper hall of the Davis Odd Fellows Hall are, from left, Dave Rosenberg, president of the Hall Board Association and an Odd Fellow and Rebekah; Greg Simmons, assistant operations manager; Dody Black, operations manager and an Odd Fellow and Rebekah; and Lea Rosenberg, noble grand of the Rebekah Lodge and an Odd Fellow. Fred Gladdis/Enterprise photo

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