Eichelberger Performing Arts Center

The mission of the Eichelberger Performing Arts Center is to provide cultural enrichment for youth and adults within and beyond our community through quality entertainment, educational experiences, and opportunities for personal involvement in a broad spectrum of performing arts.

The Eichelberger Building is surely one of Hanover’s most beautiful and recognizable buildings. Now over 100 years old, it has a rich, 95-year history of private and public school education that started with the academy built by Abdiel W. Eichelberger. His vision for the school was to keep it as an educational institution forever when he donated his 4-year-old academy for public school use in 1900. It currently serves as a commercial building that houses professional offices and the Eichelberger Performing Arts Center. Schools have changed dramatically since 1900 and so do the state requirements that govern them, sometimes forcing the need for new buildings. We believe that Captain Eichelberger would be pleased with its use as a performing arts center and the educational programs offered there. His intention was to provide education for children, and the Eichelberger Performing Arts Center is pleased to still be a small part of this plan.

The Eichelberger building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This is the United States’ official list of cultural resources that are considered worthy of preservation and is part of a national program administered by the National Park Service. The program strives to support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect historic and archeological resources in the United States. Properties included on the register are significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering and culture, and generally need to be at least 50 years old. The website (www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com) lists these properties throughout the country and can serve as a source for tourists interested in visiting historic places.