concert of the Oxford Harmonic Society in 1879; “The Kinematographe,” which was used to project animated scenes, in 1897 for an admission price of 15 to 85 cents; and the 21st graduation of the Oxford High School senior class in 1900. In 1902, the F.E. Brown Company took over the space in the second floor because there was no longer a demand by the community for its use. The second floor was converted into apartments in the 1930s. The third floor was used for a lodge hall and the photography studio. The Oxford Masonic Lodge No. 353 was located on the third floor from 1865 to 1896. The raised speakers’ platforms from the organization can still be seen. Even the basement of the Oxford Hall has served a number of purposes. It was once used for the Borough Police lock-up area. The Winchester family operated a restaurant in the basement. In 1881, W.K. Hanvey ran a “Ladies Restaurant and Confectionary,” which was known for its “celebrated ice cream.” Many years later, during the Cold War, the Oxford Hall basement was designated by the Oxford Civil Defense as a potential shelter, and was stocked with sealed water containers, crackers, medical supplies and radiation detection equipment. In 1986, Vern and Ediene Ringler purchased the
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Oxford Hall. The Chester County Industrial Development Authority, whose purpose was to create jobs, approved the purchase and restoration project and made it possible for the People’s Bank to borrow money interest free. The bank made a 20-year loan to the Ringlers. They had obtained a copy of Issac Hobb’s architectural rendering of the proposed Hall building to assist them in the architectural integrity of the restoration of the building. During the restoration process, many layers of paint were removed, as well as aluminum storm windows. The Ringlers found the Cleveland Wrecking Company in Sharon Hill, which salvaged architectural artifacts such as brackets similar to the ones that had decorated the ground floor of the Hall. They purchased 34 of these. A plaster Corinthian capital was purchased from an architectural supply company in Chicago and was used as a model to form 16 fiberglass capitals for the ground floor façade. The Ringlers opened Ediene’s, a fine jewelry store, in 1988. This store remained open until the fall of 2013, when Millstone Jewelers took its place. Many other retail ventures have been housed in the Hall building. The section where Toot Sweets exists
news, events, and information visit OxfordPA.org——
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