"I've Got a House to Sell You!"

“I’ve got a house to sell you!”  Arin Burdo, Director of the Elizabethtown Social Center (ESC), said “jokingly-not-jokingly” to the Northern Forest Center (NFC), when she learned that they were looking for ways to help ease the severe housing shortage in Elizabethtown.   

Over several years and countless conversations, that “joke-not joke” became a reality when NFC purchased the Hale House from ESC in June, 2024.   NFC’s plan is to build five middle income units, a major win-win deal for all parties – the Social Center, the Northern Forest Center and, perhaps most of all, Elizabethtown. 

This is the Social Center’s farewell letter to the Hale House.

Dear Hale House,

We’re so thrilled to see you find a new purpose!  You’ve had such an amazing life – from your early years as the handsome home of the eminent Judge Robert S. Hale to your distinction later in life as part of the historic law district.  But you are about to serve perhaps your most useful function yet – as a step towards easing our town’s housing shortage.

We purchased you in the 1980s, along with your law library and surrounding property, to allow for the development of much needed senior housing for the town.  Over the years, we put you to use as space for events, classes and as rental property.  We have lovingly maintained you and we thank our board and trustees for juggling resources for decades to make that happen.

Your sale frees us up to focus our efforts on the things we do best – hosting community events, programming fitness and arts classes and running a flourishing teen rec program. 

We can’t imagine any better outcome for you and for Elizabethtown than your current sale to Northern Forest Center. 

We wish you the best in your next adventure!

Love,

The Social Center