The venerable old Veterans Hall in Danville has been the subject of much discussion since a Veterans Memorial Building Development Committee of San Ramon Valley was formed last year. We are hearing more and more about the hall’s bad acoustics, its lack of compliance with the American Disabilities Act, and its problems with heating and air conditioning. But let’s not forget its place in history.
The building was part of a national movement instituted by Congress in 1921 to honor veterans of the Great War with buildings designed to meet their needs. As the halls sprouted up, they became the centers of their communities, used for dances, weddings, classes and theatrical productions as well as meetings of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion.
The Danville hall, as most others, was built in the center of what was then a very small town. The Danville Hotel was turned around in 1927 to face Hartz Avenue rather than Railroad, acknowledging the new town center. Across the street from the Veterans Hall, where Starbucks is now, was San Ramon Valley Bank, bought by the Bank of America in 1931.
The prohibitive cost of upkeep is an issue with all of the halls from this er, and each community deals with the problem in its own way. The cities of Walnut Creek and Lafayette tore down their old downtown halls and replaced them with a modern 9,100-square-foot facility at $7.8 million located just west of downtown Lafayette to serve veterans of both communities. In Pleasanton, a $4.5 million renovation is under way to restore its Veterans Memorial Building on Main Street to its former glory plus bring it into the 21st century functionally.
The San Ramon Valley committee concluded that renovations to the old Danville building are not feasible and proposed a new, larger building in another location. It would also be a place to provide services for veterans and auxiliary groups. The Town of Danville has committed $750,000 to the project and a fundraising kickoff event was scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 13. The veterans in this area receive a lot of support from groups such as the Sentinels of Freedom and the Exchange Club of the San Ramon Valley so the fundraising will undoubtedly be successful. What then happens to the classic structure on the corner of Hartz and Prospect?
Danville has built its reputation on its charming historic buildings. The Shuey-Podva house on School Street at Hartz is being moved several feet toward the street in order to make it feasible as an office building. The old train depot was moved a block and renovated to house the Museum of the San Ramon Valley. We hope the old Legion Hall gets the same respect and consideration as its fate is debated.
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