John M. Hall, a young attorney from Flint, was elected superintendent of the Chautauqua Educational Department of Bay View in 1885. After nearly three decades as superintendent of the Bay View assembly, the Bay View University, and the Bay View Reading Circle, he announced his gift of a new auditorium in 1913 to replace the original 1887 Old Auditorium. The new facility was to be completed the following year, but construction problems and Hall's death delayed the project. In 1915, during the fortieth year after the founding of Bay View, John M. Hall Auditorium was dedicated. As the heart of Bay View, it is home to Sunday ecumenical worship services, Sunday Vesper Concerts, artist and student recitals, Theatre Arts performances, and a wide variety of special entertainment and educational experiences.