Shortly before 1 pm this afternoon, I walked to Haston Library where I joined a couple dozen other people to listen to a presentation by Jim Buzzell about North Broookfield’s Town House.
The current Town Hall is the third, he said, the first two having burned down. When the construction of this building was authorized by the town in 1862, which was in the middle of the Civil War, they spared no expense and hired noted Worcester architect Elbridge Boyden to design it. Originally, there were retail shops on the ground floor, but the Great Hall on the second floor was for the community; many community events were held there over the years. Perhaps the most notable event in the 20th century was the performance in the Great Hall of Eugene O’Neill’s Ah Wilderness, starring George M Cohan, in 1934.
Those were the better days for the Town Hall. In 2002, the building was declared structurally unstable. The site was plagued by problems like soil contamination and roof leaks. Even as recently as 2011, Hurricane Irene damaged the bell tower to the extent that it had to be removed. But through all this, the town persisted in caring for the building. In 2004, new beams were installed to stabilize the building, and a few years later, the clean-up of the petroleum contamination was deemed complete. North Brookfield resident Jeff Samuelson crafted a replica of the bell tower, which was installed to great acclaim. In 2014, additional repairs to the roof were made.
For over a decade, a group of concerned citizens have been working together as Friends of the Town House to restore the building. Long-time North Brookfield resident Julie McCarthy put heart and soul into this effort, together with folks from Preservation Massachusetts. The Friends worked with MacRostie Historic Advisors, LLC to come up with a plan. The number that emerged is an estimated cost of $3.5-4 million, of which we have $1.9 million in tax credits. Hence, a capital campaign is underway, because the group does not want to ask for tax payer dollars. Instead, the group will solicit private and corporate donations and target funding from theater organizations. In legal terms, the Town will lease the building to the Friends for 39 years; after the lease expires, the Town can use the building for anything. Any rental income from businesses on the first floor will be used for maintenance expenses (and a management company will be hired for the day-to-day building operations).
So how can you help? If you are a North Brookfield citizen, attend Town Meeting to advocate for approval of this plan. You can also join the Friends (for a mere $15), or you can donate to the cause directly (use the link in the first paragraph and click on the “Donate” button at the bottom of the page).
I signed a release form, and then crossed the street for a quick look at the space. We learned a bit more about the building, including the purpose of this ceiling architectural detail (which I did not take notes about and which of course I’ve forgotten, but it was an interesting story):
Here’s a view of the stage:
This marble plaque is a poignant reminder that the Town has always honored its veterans:
The staircase to the Great Hall is quite stunning:
I do love the look of the building, which is in the Italianate/Second Empire style:
