[MassHistPres] Arlington Town Hall cupola demolition

[Amy D. Finstein]

Worcester's Union Station (1911) is a great example of rebuilding with new
materials to look like the original historic material. The station
originally had 2 white terra cotta towers that could not tolerate the
intense vibrations from the passing trains, and were taken down about 15
years after the building opened. After being nearly abandoned and falling
into great disrepair, the building was restored and preserved beginning in
the late 1990s, including the reconstruction of the 2 original towers using
a steel frame with fiberglass cladding. The resulting towers now rise again
as important landmarks in the urban fabric, and were done with great
attention to the original details.

You can read more on the project here:
https://www.worcestermag.com/story/lifestyle/2021/03/10/true-beauty-seeing-union-station-fresh-eyes/4512100001/

All best,
Amy Finstein
__________________________________________
*Amy D. Finstein, Ph.D.*
Assistant Professor, Architectural and Urban History
Department of Visual Arts, College of the Holy Cross

Now available: *Modern Mobility Aloft*
<http://tupress.temple.edu/book/20000000010059>


On Mon, Feb 26, 2024 at 7:57 AM Michael Ruderman via MassHistPres <
masshistpres at cs.umb.edu> wrote:

> Arlington has issued an RFP for the demolition of the cupola on its 1913
> Robbins Memorial Town Hall, a National Register building located within the
> town center national historic district. Water infiltration through and
> around the cupola has ruined the ceiling below and made the hall's formal
> meeting room unusable.
>
> At this date there's no plan for replacing the cupola. The town
> manager has speculated about using "alternative materials", leading local
> wags to imagine "Barbie's Plastic Fantastic Town Hall Topper" surmounting
> R. Clipston Sturgis's Classical Revival base.
>
> Seriously though, has anyone had experience with the replacement of a
> prominent municipal building's cupola with a facsimile?
>
> Michael Ruderman
> x-Arlington Historical Commission
>
>
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