massachusetts travel

Georgetown Town Hall // 1905

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Welcome to Georgetown! The Georgetown Central School, now known as the Memorial Town Hall, stands near the historic commercial center of Georgetown, Massachusetts, a rural community in Essex County located about 28 miles north of Boston. The two story wood-frame building was built in 1905 to a design by the Boston architectural firm of Cooper and Bailey, and located at the site of an earlier one-room schoolhouse built in the 18th century. It was Georgetown’s first multi-room school building, and was built after the town’s first high school/town hall burned down in 1898. The Colonial Revival style school building was eventually outgrown and was no longer needed as an educational facility. It was converted to municipal offices in 1974, a use that has remained ever since. The town has taken pride in this building, restoring much of the exterior details and slate roof.

Ashby Public Library // 1902

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The Ashby Public Library in Ashby, Massachusetts, was built in 1902, completely funded by a donation from Edwin Chapman (1841-1915) who lived across the street from the new library. Mr. Chapman was raised in Ashby and became a wealthy Boston-area merchant in the meat trade by the late 19th century. Before this library was built, the town’s library collection was housed in the Wyman Tavern. The building was designed by architect Henry M. Francis in the Neoclassical style with Romanesque detail in brick and brownstone to make the building fireproof. The library was added onto in the rear in 2006 by The Galante Architecture Studio, which is recessed and mostly visible from the rear parking area. The addition is Modern in style to distinguish itself from the main library building.

Old Ashby Academy – Ashby Grange Hall // 1820

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In 1819, less than a decade after the First Parish Church in Ashby, Massachusetts was built, a group of parishioners split to form their own congregation, erecting this Federal style building as its new house of worship a year later. The congregation grew and eventually would build a new church, the Ashby Congregational Church, in 1835. The building was soon after, sold to a group of citizens interested in starting an academy. In 1836 they opened Ashby Academy, which offered education beyond the eighth grade for those who could afford it. Ashby Academy closed in 1860 and the Town of Ashby purchased the building in 1864 for a high school and town offices, a use that remained until a new school was built in 1902. Since the 1970s, the building has been occupied as a local grange hall, and maintained by a local group, the Friends of the Ashby Grange Hall. The building is a significant, transitional Federal/Greek Revival style building in town with its pediment and elliptical windows.

Norwood Theatre // 1927

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The Norwood Theatre was built in 1927 as a high-style showpiece for the re-invigorated downtown of Norwood, Massachusetts. Built at the same time as the Norwood Town Hall building, the building was constructed at a time of great development in the town, as local entrepreneur and philanthropist, George Willet and landscape architect Arthur A. Shurcliff, created a plan to evolve Norwood from a sleepy rural town to a commercial center. Architect William G. Upham is credited with designing the theatre and he enjoyed a prolific career which encompassed the design of masonic temples, commercial blocks, theatres, homes, and of course, the Norwood Town Hall. The Norwood Theatre was designed in a high-style Spanish Renaissance Revival style and was designed for motion pictures but also included a stage for possible vaudeville and theatrical productions. By the mid-20th century, a Modern sign covered much of the original facade, and lasted until the building came under its current ownership in 2010. A careful two-year restoration brought the theatre back to its former glory.

Norwood Town Hall // 1928

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Norwood Town Hall represents the achievement of landscape architect Arthur A. Shurtleff and local financier, George Willet, to transform the village center of Norwood, Massachusetts from a sleepy rural village to a thriving commercial and cultural center of town. Plans for the municipal building began as early as 1919, with this building serving as both a town hall and memorial to the Norwood men who died in all previous wars. The building would not be completed until 1928. Designed by Norwood architect, William Upham, the building is a landmark example of the Neo-Gothic Revival style and its main feature, the 110-foot bell-tower which houses a 50-bell carillon, towers over the town common.