The warm amber glow of spotlights settled upon guitarist Lui Collins as she stood barefoot in the middle of an empty stage and sang about a red, red robin that goes bob, bob, bobbin’ along.

In the audience, folks mouthed the lyrics as they grasped ceramic mugs of coffee to keep their hands warm on a chilly spring night.

For 101 years, people have gathered inside Hammond Hall, a sturdy wood-framed community center, in the heart of Winter Harbor. The rambling shingled building has hosted myriad social events – from concerts to proms and weddings – and has served as a municipal building, gymnasium and theater.

And while many other century-old structures are locked up or have been torn down, Hammond Hall continues to thrive.

“It’s got a history. It’s 100 years old and it’s in beautiful condition,” said Cynthia Thayer, a nationally known novelist and president of Schoodic Arts for All, which uses the building to stage nearly 200 events and workshops each year. “It’s a very interesting building. It’s the social center of the peninsula.”

Hammond Hall was built in 1903, only seven years after Winter Harbor became an independent town. It was named for Edward Jonathan Hammond, the man who commissioned it, who grew up in Winter Harbor, but moved to Boston to work in the lumber business.

In the 1880s, Hammond had returned to his hometown with big plans to create a resort rivaling the summer colony that was developing on Grindstone Neck nearby, according to local historian and former town manager Allan Smallidge, who has written extensively about both Winter Harbor and the hall.

Hammond bought hundreds of acres of land around the village and built a wharf, cottages businesses and a majestic bluffside hotel, The Beacon.

Things went fine for a while, Smallidge said, but Hammond ran into some bad luck when separate fires destroyed his hotel and other enterprises. While his dream was being extinguished, Grindstone Neck flourished. It became particularly popular among rusticators who favored Winter Harbor’s quiet shores over the busier communities of Mount Desert Island.

“[Grindstone Neck] just blossomed,” Smallidge said, “and his [Hammond’s] just died.” About a year later, the entrepreneur forged a new plan. He offered selectmen some land on Main Street and the materials to build a town hall, something Winter Harbor lacked. His donation was accepted during a special town meeting in 1903.

That year, the annual town report predicted: “The building will be an ornament to the town for many years to come.”

The hall took a year to construct and the project employed many local craftsmen. It was dedicated Jan. 1, 1904 after an elaborate New Year’s Eve party.

As Smallidge sees it, Hammond may have been making amends to his community when he donated the land for the hall. It may have been a gesture for his failed attempt to establish a resort in the village, or it may have been a way to ensure that his name lived on after he died.

“I suspect – I don’t know – that he did this to say, ‘I’m sorry,'” Smallidge speculated.

Hammond died in 1928, but his hall has continued to house social events, plays, town meetings and formal dances for decades. The selectmen used to meet every other Monday in a small office on the second floor and local residents converged in the auditorium for annual town meetings.

In the 1970s, the town turned over ownership of the building to the Winter Harbor Historical Society. The place sat unused for many years, mainly because the historical society lacked the resources for its upkeep.

Then Schoodic Arts for All came along. The nonprofit organization, which promotes art and cultural events in the community, favored the space for its concerts, workshops and productions, according to its executive director, Mary Laury.

“Schoodic Arts took a great interest in it,” Smallidge said. “They came along at a time when the historical society just couldn’t handle it anymore. And thank goodness they did.”

Today, the Maine Historic Preservation Commission considers Hammond Hall an important example of 20th-century Colonial Revival architecture. Because of this, and the fact the building served as Winter Harbor’s town hall for 50 years, the commission nominated it to the National Register of Historic Places. It was added to the list in 2004.

Grand entrances are a signature feature of Colonial Revival architecture, and Hammond Hall falls nicely into that category with its double doors, fluted columns and Palladian window.

Inside, the lobby is detailed with tongue-in-groove woodwork. There is a small ticket window and a large staircase leading to the balcony. Through another set of double doors is the auditorium, which features a lofty tin ceiling, douglas fir wainscoting and a stage with deep-blue curtains to match the sea.

“Our performers, even those who have played in New York, just love the stage and the acoustics of the building,” Laury said.

Using such structures for both governmental and recreational purposes was common in the early 20th century, At least three others in Maine – the Waterville Opera House, the Opera House in Skowhegan and Cumston Hall in Monmouth – were erected duing the same period and used in the same manner, according to Kirk Mohney, assistant director of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission.

Over the years, a handful of well-known people have reportedly visited Hammond Hall, including actress Margaret Sullivan, who starred with Jimmy Stewart in “Shop Around the Corner.”

Smallidge said he once saw former U.S. Attorney General Dick Thornberg attend a show at Hammond. Another time, he spotted Hall of Fame astronaut Rick Hauck helping decorate for a performance.

“There he was, the commander of the Discovery, stringing lights,” Smallidge recalled. “Where else do you get something like this? Those kinds of things have happened here.”

These days, musicians from all around the country perform in Hammond Hall.

On the last Friday of each month, it becomes a cozy coffeehouse, where guests sit at cloth-covered tables and nibble on carrot cake, lemon meringue pie and other homemade goodies while listening to performers of all genres.

Schoodic Arts is also funding renovations to the hall. Thanks to a community capital campaign, the group has, among other things, installed a handicapped bathroom and purchased more comfortable seating. Members are also in the process of raising $15,000 to buy a 1926 Steinway piano that was loaned to them.

Laury said the artistic and musical events have become quite popular, attracting thousands of locals and summer residents over the years. She hopes the repairs, too, translate into a future for the hall that is as colorful as its past.

“I feel a strong sense of stewardship for this building,” she said. “There’s no reason why it shouldn’t be here another 100 years.”

The Katahdin Valley Boys, a bluegrass group, performs at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 27, at Hammond Hall. Admission is $8. Children under 12 are free. For more information, call 963-2569 or visit www.schoodicartsforall.org. Wendy Fontaine can be reached at 664-0525 and bdnnews2@downeast.net.