In Their Own Words: The Team Behind Friendship Hall’s Restoration
The board president, treasurer, and architect sat down with 95.9 WATD — and what they said is worth 15 minutes of your time.
If you’ve ever driven past the old Clift Rodgers Library on Old Main Street and wondered what’s going on with that beautiful little building, this interview is your answer. Friendship Hall’s board president Kevin Malloy, board member Stephen Halko-Sheehan, and pro-bono architect Chris DeOrsay joined Christine James at 95.9 WATD to talk about the building’s history, what it needs, and why a community this size is betting $475,000 on its future.
It’s 15 minutes well spent.
Highlights from the Interview
A Building That's Been Working This Whole Time
One of the things that comes through clearly in this conversation is just how active Friendship Hall already is. AA meets there regularly. A kennel club. Youth groups. Theater companies. Birthday parties — including Stephen’s own 60th. Weddings and wedding receptions. And the Marshfield Community Rib Cook-off? That started in the Friendship Hall parking lot.
“It is such a vital part of that community,” Stephen says. “And I think for it to fall into disrepair — or the ability not to be able to use it — would be a sin.”
What the Building Actually Needs — and Why It's Manageable
Chris DeOrsay, the architect donating his firm’s services to the project, puts the scope clearly: the building is remarkably intact. It hasn’t been significantly altered since it was built in the 1890s, which is rare — and worth protecting. The work isn’t about reinvention. It’s about preservation.
The exterior wood trim that has defined this building for 130 years is starting to rot. Windows need replacing. The plan is to replicate everything exactly as originally built, using modern composite materials that will last another hundred years. “We’re looking forward to that work,” Chris says.
The Numbers, Honestly
The goal is $475,000. As of the time of this interview, the team had raised over $200,000, with commitments approaching $250,000–$260,000. Phase one of construction — exterior work — was being planned to begin as soon as the schedule with the contractor aligned.
Kevin frames the financial mission with characteristic directness: “We don’t want to have to raise rents or costs for the people who use the building. That’s why we’re doing this.”
A Pro-Bono Architect and a Community That Shows Up
Christine James, the host, puts it plainly midway through: “You’ve got the passion, you’ve got the professionalism — it’s such a gem.” She’s right. Chris DeOrsay’s firm is donating architectural services. Kevin moved back to Marshfield Hills, lives down the street, and has been connected to the hall since sixth grade youth group. Stephen has been coming through those doors for decades.
This isn’t a project run by strangers. It’s run by neighbors.
How You Can See It for Yourself
The team mentions Memorial Day weekend as the best chance for newcomers to see the building in person. Friendship Hall hosts the post-parade reception — cider and donuts, open to everyone, free — right after the Marshfield Hills Memorial Day Parade. If you’ve been curious, that’s your moment.
Why This Conversation Matters
Friendship Hall isn’t just a building on a list somewhere. It’s on the National Register of Historic Places, yes — but more than that, it’s the place where this community actually happens. The youth groups, the neighborhood organizations, the birthday parties, the wedding receptions. The riboff.
The $475,000 campaign isn’t about restoring something that used to matter. It’s about protecting something that matters right now, every week, to real people in Marshfield Hills.
Kevin says it best at the close of the interview: “This building has served the community since the late 1800s. We hope to see it continue to serve the community for generations to come — for our kids, and beyond.”
“When you go there, you feel this sense of security and safety. It’s nestled in a really great little community — and it really is an important piece of it.”
— Stephen Halko-Sheehan, Friendship Hall