MORRIS, Conn. (AP) – A once-popular music and dance hall where famous big bands played in the 1930s and ’40s and rock acts drew crowds in the ’70s and ’80s has been put up for sale for $3.8 million.

The Bantam Lake landmark was called The Music Box when Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey’s orchestra played there during the big band era. Jonathan Edwards, Arlo Guthrie and NRBQ later performed there after it was renamed Beverly’s in the early 1970s.

“For Sale” signs were put up last week, the Sunday Republican of Waterbury reported.

Beverly’s closed in 1989 and has been used only as a private marina since then.

Edward Digimas assumed ownership in 1994 shortly before his mother, Beverly Winters, the venue’s namesake, died. He declined to say why he is selling the 2.8-acre property, which includes the Beverly’s building, two apartments and a 112-slip marina.

Digimas, who said a sale could be in the works, spoke nostalgically of the building’s history on Saturday.

“It started as a dance hall in the 1920s, had a few changes over the years, and ended as a dance hall,” Digimas said. “It came full circle.”

Winters and her husband, the late Edward Digimas, bought the property in 1961 when it was named The Music Box and converted it into a dance hall.

After it became Beverly’s, they changed the entertainment from music and dance to sing-a-longs featuring music of the 1920s. Edward Digimas, the couple’s son, put in a bar in 1976 and brought back live music and dancing. Many top bands in the Northeast made stops at Beverly’s, which was also a restaurant, until it closed.

Morris native Marilyn Birkett recalled how the hall was popular with dancing and music enthusiasts in the 1930s and 40s, when the Dorseys and other big bands played The Music Box. She also remembered when it became a roller skating rink in the 1950s.

“It was a great place to go and spend the day,” said Birkett, whose husband, Philip, is Morris’ first selectman. “The young kids would skate on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and the adults at night. People would come by boat, tie them up in the marina and come in to skate.”

Philip Birkett said he hopes the property will become more utilized under new ownership.

“It is a perfect spot for a restaurant, a place where families could go and enjoy a meal by the side of the lake,” he said. “We could use a restaurant on the lake. It would be great boost for the town’s economic development effort.”