The Equinox Connection
A Shared Beginning
The story of the Manchester Music Hall begins, as so many of Manchester’s stories do, with The Equinox.
In 1853, Franklin Orvis transformed his father’s humble brick home into a summer retreat known as The Equinox House. As the resort grew, so did his vision: to create not just a place to stay, but a place to belong.
Fifteen years later, he built the Music Hall — a grand, Italianate performance venue that would elevate the experience of his guests and enrich the life of the village. It was here that the line between resort and community disappeared. Guests gathered beside locals, and Manchester became known as much for its culture as for its mountain air.
The Equinox Legacy
From those early years, The Equinox and the Music Hall grew in tandem.
The Equinox expanded into one of New England’s premier destinations — a place where travelers found rest, refinement, and renewal. The Music Hall, meanwhile, offered what no other hotel could: a stage where the region’s cultural and social life could thrive.
Through eras of prosperity and challenge, both stood resilient. As The Equinox evolved — from a family-run inn to a world-class resort — it carried the spirit of the Music Hall with it: a devotion to gathering, to grace, and to the quiet art of welcoming others in.
Hospitality Meets Heritage
When the Music Hall transitioned into staff and guest lodging in 1912, its story didn’t end — it deepened. The people who worked at The Equinox found home within its walls, ensuring that the same building once filled with applause continued to serve the spirit of hospitality.
That dual purpose — cultural and human — still defines The Equinox today. The resort’s restoration and preservation efforts are guided by the same philosophy that inspired Franklin Orvis over 150 years ago: that great places endure not through grandeur, but through care.
A Lasting Connection
Together, The Equinox and the Manchester Music Hall represent more than architecture or history — they embody Vermont’s enduring sense of place.
From the first performances beneath gaslight to modern-day preservation partnerships with the Town of Manchester, the Manchester Historical Society, and the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, their stories remain inseparable.
Standing side by side on Union Street, these two landmarks remind us that history is not a single moment, but a conversation — one that continues to unfold in every guest’s arrival, every gathering, every act of restoration.