Danville Town House
Description and history
The Danville Town House stands in the rural town center of Danville, on the east side of Main Street between Gerry Drive and the Baptist church. It is a 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, with a gabled roof and exterior finished in a modern synthetic imitation of clapboards (with the original wooden clapboards underneath). It has modest nods toward late 19th-century Victorian architecture, including slightly parapeted gables with projecting ends. The front porch originally had turned posts and a spindled valance; it has been replaced by square posts and balusters. On the inside, the town offices are located on the ground floor, while the second floor has a ballroom with a stage area at the eastern end.
The building was constructed in 1887, after the town's 18th-century meetinghouse was judged inadequate to meet the town's needs for municipal functions. This building's location in southern Danville was not without controversy: some objected to its more elaborate Victorian styling, and farmers in the northern part of the town objected to its relatively remote location, but were outvoted by more numerous southerners. An attempt was made to burn the building down the night before its dedication. The ballroom has been used for many public and private functions, including use by local civic groups, the Grange, and the Boy Scouts.
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "NRHP nomination for Danville Town House". National Park Service. Retrieved 2014-06-13.