[MassHistPres] Greek Revival Town Hall

[Dennis De Witt]

You shouldn't be limited by "greek revival."  Brookline lost a now  
bitterly regretted gothic town hall -- of which only some stained  
glass, a poly-chrome capital, and pictures remain to remind us, in  
the lobby of our not-loved 1960s town hall.

More to the point, Chris should have several discussion threads -- or  
maybe he has put together a list -- of dozens of town owned buildings  
that have been re-used -- many by non-town entities so that they do  
not cost the town money to operate -- if that is the issue.

The town could put out an request for proposals with whatever  
conditions seem appropriate.  There may be a good non-profit that  
would love to occupy the building in exchange for the maintenance costs.

Dennis De Witt


On Apr 17, 2008, at 11:32 AM, SARA WERMIEL wrote:

> Betsy, you might consider broadening your brief against demolition  
> by asking
> people in towns where historic town halls have been demolished and  
> replaced,
> how much they regret the loss of the old building and wish they  
> could have
> it back.  Indeed, the comparative rarity of the form, since so many  
> public
> buildings from that period have been demolished, make it a treasure  
> for the
> state and nation, which the town has the privilege and  
> responsibility of
> protecting (and of course, there are programs that can help fund
> rehabilitation, whether it remains in public ownership or is sold  
> or leased
> for other income-producing use).
> --Sara Wermiel
> Historic preservation consultant/building historian
> Jamaica Plain, MA
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Betsy Hannula" <betsyhannula at verizon.net>
> To: "List Serve Mass Historical Commission" <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>
> Sent: Thursday, April 17, 2008 11:00 AM
> Subject: [MassHistPres] Greek Revival Town Hall
>
>
>> I am looking for a town in Massachusetts that has a Greek Revival  
>> period
> Town Hall that has been rehabilitated or restored, either for  
> continued use
> as a town hall or for any other reuse.  I would like to visit it  
> and take
> photos, or at the least have a photo of it or a scan of a photo  
> that I could
> use emailed to me if anyone is able.
>> The Selectmen in Westminster have placed an article on the warrant  
>> for the
> town meeting on May 3 to demolish our Town Hall now that we have a  
> new one.
> (They are all in favor of making this land a park.)  I'm preparing  
> a Power
> point presentation showing (1) old homes and buildings in  
> Westminster that
> we have already lost, (2) activities that have taken place in the  
> old Town
> Hall for more than a century, and (3) other town halls in  
> Massachusetts that
> have been successfully restored and reused.  I have already been to  
> Townsend
> and Groton (beautiful) but they're of a different period and I  
> think the
> impact would be greater if I had a similar style building.
>> Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>>
>> Betsy Hannula
>>
>>
>> 68 Harrington Road
>> Westminster, MA 01473
>>
>>
>>
>> Tel. 978-874-0430
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