Attendance at Mechanics Hall rises, as nonprofit nears fundraising goal for Black abolitionists’ portraits

Photo | Grant Welker Mechanics Hall in Worcester

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By Isabel Tehan

Worcester County Mechanics Association, which owns and operates Mechanics Hall in Worcester, reported $3.2 million in revenue for fiscal 2023.

Nearly $1.5 million of the revue came from rental activities at Mechanics Hall, according to a Tuesday press release from the association. The hall hosted 187 events during the fiscal year, up from 114 the previous fiscal year.

In February, the commissioned portraits of prominent Black abolitionists, which are expected to debut in 2024.

“The new portraits of Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Trust, and William and Martha Brown will honor the impact these inspiring Americans had on the evolution of our country,” Mechanics Hall Executive Director Kathleen Gagne said in the press release. “They will also draw attention to the role our city and the Mechanics Hall stages played in the highly contentious social reform issues of that time: abolition of slavery, women’s rights, and temperance.”

The hall has achieved 80% of its fundraising goal for the portrait project and has surpassed $400,000 raised. The public phase of fundraising has begun to raise $98,000 more to reach the $500,000 goal.