CHOCOLATE CHURCH ARTS CENTER

The Chocolate Church Arts Center is a nonprofit performing arts venue in historic Bath, Maine, housed in a Gothic Revival church completed in 1847. The facility includes a 300-seat proscenium theater in the main sanctuary and an 80-seat attached Annex that operates as a club-style venue. The center also runs art education programs and a music school.

Programming spans live music, theater, community arts productions, waterfront concerts, and large-scale community parades. The 300-seat main hall hosts folk, jazz, blues, rock, and touring national acts, while the Annex is used for more intimate club-format performances. The venue also runs Art Lab sessions for artists of all ages and music education led by Dr. Jane Clukey.

The building was originally completed in 1847 as the Central Church of Bath, a Gothic Revival structure. In the mid-1960s, declining membership threatened the building's future. Theatrical designer Jack Doepp purchased the building from Sagadahoc Preservation, Inc. and formed the Performing Arts Center of Bath. The community nicknamed it "the Chocolate Church," and the Chocolate Church Arts Center was incorporated and received 501(c)(3) status in 1977.