of the stage area and out to the sides; this is wide. In the terminology of Christian church architecture, the nave is wide while the transepts extend to , and the pipe organ is in the chancel. There is a vaulted ceiling high. Beneath the vault is an entablature whose cornice hides indirect lighting which illuminates and reflects off the ceiling. There is also a catwalk where the vault of the ceiling meets the top of the walls. The total enclosed volume is over , which gives a reverberation time of 4 seconds when the hall is empty. The interior is designed in an English baroque style. It draws particularly from Christopher Wren's design for the Church of Saint Stephen, Walbrook, in London. The lower of wall surface are finished with dark oak paneling. The walls above that are plaster with brocade panels which in addition to their decorative appearance are placed to absorb excess reverberation. The floors are marble in an alternating color scheme of reddish-brown and gray. History After the hall's completion, it was used privately by Searles until his death in 1920. It then passed to Searles' secretary, Arthur Thomas Walker, as residuary legatee. Walker died in 1927, leaving the hall to his niece, Ina Cecil McEachran of Detroit. In 1930, part of the property including the hall was purchased by Lillian Wightman Andrew (1882-1961), wife of local banker Francis Martin Andrew (1880–1967). In 1931, the hall was purchased by noted organbuilder Ernest M. Skinner for a mere $10,000. Under Skinner's ownership, there were public choral and organ performances which included works by Brahms, Bach, and Handel, with recitals by organists including Marcel Dupré and E. Power Biggs. In 1936, Skinner incorporated an organ building company on the property, "Ernest M. Skinner and Son Company", using the Methuen Organ Company factory building which was attached to the music hall by a covered walkway. This business initially prospered, building several notable pipe organs including the one for the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. The National Cathedral was designed by Henry Vaughan, who designed the music hall. The Second World War caused the failure of the company, and in August 1942 the company assets, including the music hall, were transferred to trustees Arthur T. Wasserman and Matthew Brown as protection from creditors. In 1943, a court decree allowed the Essex Savings Bank of Lawrence to sell the property in