About the City of Milford
Milford is the 6th oldest town in Connecticut. On February 6, 1639 the Englishmen who had explored the area and set up camp south of New Haven Colony. They joined with others from New Haven to purchase land from Anantawae, a Sachem (paramount chief) of the Paugusset Indians
The colonists were interested in land on the banks of the Wepawaug River where Ansantawae’s inland village was located down to where his tribe summered on what is now Point Lookout on Long Island Sound. The price they were willing to pay? Six coats, ten blankets, one kettle, twelve hatchets, twelve hoes, twenty-four knives and twelve small mirrors seemed reasonable. The tract extended from the east (Oyster River) to the Housatonic. It included not only coastal plain land but also a small island offshore and a two mile “Indian Path” north to Paugusset (Derby). It is believed this pathway extended the purchase to include the area now considered all of Orange and Milford as well as part of Woodbridge.
Today Milford is known as “A Small City with a Big Heart!”. Seventeen miles of Long Island Sound coastline funnel into our harbor that winds its way to meet the Wepawaug River in the heart of town. Stroll through downtown and it’s meticulously maintained “town green”, the second longest in New England. You get that small town feeling coupled with the charm and the sense of history of an English settlement dating from 1639. Walk over the Hotchkiss Bridge, and see the gorge framed by the arch of the Memorial Bridge, stop for an ice cream cone, or enjoy the many first class Restaurants, pubs and Bistros.
History of The Milford Performance Center
Construction of the new Milford High School building began in 1949. It was completed and ready to accept students in September 1951. It was state of the art, at that time, in Concept, design and structure. Its, then, 1500 seat auditorium was completed just in time for Senior Class of 1951 for graduation ceremonies.
Milford High school was phased out and the building closed upon graduation of the class of 1983. The building underwent major renovation and emerged some time later as “The Parsons Government Center. Home to many city governmental departments and Board of Education offices.
Over the years a few groups have utilized the auditorium for their events. With the 2016 face lift of the entry way and renovation of the “green room” The Milford Performance Center is making the usage of The Veterans Memorial Auditorium a new experience. With it’s convenient location, layered between New Haven and Fairfield Counties, we are positioned to be the cultural center for music, comedy theatre and the spoken word for Milford and the surrounding communities. It’s large stage, perfectly placed lighting and sound booth, orchestra pit, state of the art sound and lighting and intimate seating arrangement for 950+ makes it the perfect venue for any event. The MPC features many series ranging for Classic Rock to classical Music, Jazz, Blues, Country, Bluegrass, Folk, Oldies, Comedy, film and theatre. The Performance Center continually strives to create an enjoyable experience for it’s patrons as well as the performers that share their talent with us.
OUR MISSION
The mission of the Milford Performance Center is to use performing arts to help better our community. By creating a public place to enjoy music, theatre, film and comedy will greatly influence the quality of life for the City of Milford and surrounding communities. It will enhance the opportunity for people to come together for entertainment and also bring individuals and families into the area to shop and dine.
With diverse musical styles comedy and theater we will appeal to the most diverse audience possible on a regular basis. We will strengthen our community by using our facility, shows and funding to help those in our community that cannot help themselves… nurturing, enriching, and enlighten the lives of those we touch. It is our responsibility to look out for those less fortunate and we will strive to do that one performance at a time.