FAYETTE — Two months ago, the fate of Starling Hall hung in the balance.

A local ballot question asked residents whether they would like to sell — rather than repair — the 1879 hall that is among the first purpose-built grange halls in the state, according to Maine Preservation.

Residents defeated the effort by a vote of 574 to 304.

“I’m very happy the townspeople see the value of keeping the hall,” said Michael Carlson, acting president of the Friends of Starling Hall.

That same day in November, voters statewide approved a $10 million bond issue to help properties just like Starling Hall make the repairs needed to stay open to the public.

More good news came in December, when the Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust awarded Friends of Starling Hall $15,000 to fix the roof. That’s in addition to a $30,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to install a generator so the hall can be used as an emergency shelter.

Carlson said the group is pursuing other funds to help knock off items on the to-do list and that an architectural study they commissioned in 2024 will help them decide the best way to proceed.

From the outside, the hall on Route 17 shows peeling paint and a rusty metal roof. But it sits on a relatively new foundation, thanks to an effort to move the building back from the road a few years ago.

So far, renovation costs for the new foundation, heating and air conditioning, floor joists, drilled well and plumbing and heating upgrades have totaled nearly $300,000.

The former grange has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2016 and made another list in 2024 — Maine Preservation’s list of Most Endangered Historic Places.

In making the case for the importance of preserving Starling Hall, Maine Preservation described its importance as a community gathering spot in the late 1800s.

“It became the center of activity for the area hosting the Farmers’ League, the North Fayette Lyceum, the Sons of Temperance, and numerous balls, oyster suppers and local musicals,” according to Maine Preservation.

By 1907, Maine’s per capita grange membership was larger than any other state, according to the state grange.

In Fayette, the grange disbanded in 1986, leaving the building to the town for continued use as a gathering space.

The first floor is now accessible via a wheelchair ramp and offers a full commercial kitchen and plenty of space to host public meetings, fundraisers and community meals.

Upstairs, the grand hall offers a stage, wooden theater seats and a small cutout at the top of the stairs where grange members were required to share a special password to gain entry.

Carlson said it’s impossible to set a timeline for the additional work, but that he knows in the future the building will be preserved for many functions to benefit the residents of Fayette.

“Basically, any need or purpose someone can come up with is going to be what we want the building to be used for,” he said.