New Ipswich Town Hall
Description and history
The New Ipswich Town Hall stands near the southern end of the village center, at the junction of Main and Willard Streets, across from the Congregational church. It is a tall 1+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, with a gabled roof and clapboarded exterior. The corners have broad paneled pilasters, which rise to an entablature and pedimented gable. The gable has a round-arch window near its peak. The rest of the facade consists of tall sash windows flanking the main entrance: the windows are topped by projecting cornices, while the entrance is framed by pilasters and a corniced entablature. The interior of the building has a narrow vestibule, which provides access to the main hall, a closet, and stairs rising to a gallery that extends across the eastern side of the hall.
The hall was built in 1817 as a cooperative venture between the town and the local academy, which had been founded in 1787. It was built with two full stories, and a tower with belfry, much in the manner of typical New England churches of the period. The academy eventually moved to another building, and the town made significant alterations in the 1869, enlarging its footprint, removing the tower's cupola, and removing the second floor to provide a single, high-ceilinged auditorium. The exterior also received a number of Greek Revival features at this time, and has seen little alteration since then. The building is still owned by the town, and is used occasionally for civic functions.
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "NRHP nomination for New Ipswich Town Hall". National Park Service. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
External links
Media related to New Ipswich Town Hall at Wikimedia Commons