This stunning Romanesque building was constructed for the First Baptist Church in Beverly to use as a chapel in 1863. The Church vacated the building a few years later upon completion of their new sanctuary (last post), and the Town of Beverly then used the building as a High School until 1875. In March, 1876, a Town meeting voted to allow the Beverly Light Infantry Company, an organization of veterans of the War of 1812, to use the building for an Armory. From that time until the 1930s, other veterans’ groups utilized the building, in particular the John H. Chipman Post 89, Grand Army of the Republic. As a result of that use, the building is known as the GAR Building. During the time the Grand Army of the Republic used the building, the main hall was used for meetings and decorated with artifacts of the Civil War. When the Post was dissolved, the artifacts and records were moved to the Beverly Historical Society, where they are now housed in a room dedicated to the GAR. The building was designed by architectural firm of Lord & Fuller of Salem, MA. The octagonal bay window was added in the early 20th century. The building is now used for some town offices and has recently been restored and even features a period-appropriate paint job!