Reading Town Hall (Vermont)

Last updated
Reading Town Hall
ReadingVT TownHall.jpg
USA Vermont location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationJct. of VT 106 and Pleasant St., Reading, Vermont
Coordinates 43°27′20″N72°32′16″W / 43.45556°N 72.53778°W / 43.45556; -72.53778
Area1.5 acres (0.61 ha)
Built1911 (1911)
ArchitectMorse, J.E.
Architectural styleColonial Revival
MPS Historic Government Buildings MPS
NRHP reference No. 96000252 [1]
Added to NRHPMarch 7, 1996

Reading Town Hall, the town hall of Reading, Vermont, is located at the junction of Vermont Route 106 and Pleasant Street in the village of Felchville. Built in 1915 as a gift from a native son, the barn-like structure is a fine local example of Colonial Revival architecture, and has been a center of local civic activity since its construction. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. [1]

Contents

Description and history

Reading Town Hall stands prominently at the southwest corner of VT 106 and Pleasant Street in Felchville, the rural community's principal village. It is a large 2+12-story wood-frame structure, with bellcast gambrel roof, and an exterior clad in wooden shingles. The main facade faces east toward VT 106, and is symmetrical, with a centered entrance framed by paired pilasters and a corniced entablature. The entry is flanked by sash windows on either side, with three in the second story and one in the half story above. The interior has a large auditorium on the upper floor, with space for post office, town clerk, and a banquet hall on the ground floor. [2]

The building was constructed in 1911, its funding provided by Wallace F. Robinson, a Reading native son who succeeded in business in Boston, Massachusetts. The building was designed by J.E. Morse of Springfield, and is unusual among the state's town halls for its barn-like appearance. Robinson in 1916 also provided the town with an endowment for the building's maintenance.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reading Municipal Building</span> United States historic place

The former Reading Municipal Building is a historic building at 49 Pleasant Street in Reading, Massachusetts. Built in 1885, this two-story brick building was the town's first municipal structure, housing the town offices, jail, and fire station. In 1918 all functions except fire services moved out of the building. It now serves as Reading's Pleasant Street Senior Center. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oak Hill Cemetery Chapel (Bellows Falls, Vermont)</span> United States historic place

The Oak Hill Cemetery Chapel is a historic chapel, located in the Oak Hill Cemetery off Pleasant Street in Bellows Falls, Vermont. Built about 1885, it is one of a small number of 19th-century cemetery chapels in the state, and is the most modestly decorated of those, with vernacular Gothic Revival elements. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vermont Route 106</span> State highway in Windsor County, Vermont, US

Vermont Route 106 (VT 106) is a 25.963-mile-long (41.783 km) north–south state highway in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The route begins at an intersection with VT 11 in the town of Springfield and runs along the Black River for several miles, crossing through Weathersfield, Reading and Woodstock before reaching the village of Woodstock, where it ends at a junction with U.S. Route 4 (US 4).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grafton District Schoolhouse No. 2</span> United States historic place

The Grafton District Schoolhouse No. 2, also known locally as the Old Fire Station, is a historic civic building at 217 Main Street in Grafton, Vermont. Built about 1835, it has served as a school, fire station, Masonic hall, tin shop, undertaker's shop, and as the clubhouse of a local brass band. Despite some alteration, it is a well-preserved example of a mid-19th century Greek Revival schoolhouse. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Londonderry Town House</span> United States historic place

The Londonderry Town House, or the Londonderry Town Hall is the town hall of Londonderry, Vermont. It is located on Middletown Road in the village of South Londonderry. Built in 1860, its architecture encapsulates the changing functions of this type of public venue through more than 100 years of history. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Windham Village Historic District</span> Historic district in Vermont, United States

The South Windham Village Historic District encompasses a small rural village in southern Windham, Vermont. Located at the junction of Windham Hill and Chase Roads, it has been little altered since the late 19th century. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenks Tavern</span> United States historic place

The Jenks Tavern, also known historically as the East Rupert Hotel and the Hotel G. Jenks, is a historic public accommodations house at the junction of West Dorset Road with Vermont Routes 315 and 30 in Rupert, Vermont. Built about 1807, it is a well-preserved example of an early 19th-century traveler's accommodation in southern Vermont. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. The building is now a private residence, the home of American playwright and author John Nassivera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hosford–Sherman Farm</span> United States historic place

The Hosford–Sherman Farm is a historic farm property on Vermont Route 30 in northern Poultney, Vermont. Established in the late 18th century, the farm includes the original farmhouse, now an ell to a 19th-century brick house, and a late 19th-century barn, along with more than 120 acres (49 ha) of farmland. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pawlet Town Hall</span> United States historic place

Pawlet Town Hall houses the municipal offices of the town of Pawlet, Vermont. Located at 122 School Street in the village center, it was built in 1881 as a combined town hall, meeting and performance venue, and retail establishment. It has served as town hall since its construction, and is a good local example of late Italianate architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bethel Village Historic District</span> Historic district in Vermont, United States

The Bethel Village Historic District encompasses the historic core of the village of Bethel in the town of Bethel, Vermont, USA. The L-shaped district extends along Main and Church Streets, including many of the village's commercial and civic buildings, as well as a significant number of 19th and early 20th-century residences. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, and was slightly enlarged in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damon Hall</span> United States historic place

Damon Hall, also known as Hartland Town Hall, is located at the junction of United States Route 5, Quechee Road, and Vermont Route 12 in the village center of Hartland, Vermont. Built in 1914-15 as a memorial to the locally prominent businessman William E. Damon, it is a fine local example of Colonial Revival architecture, and has served the town in many capacities since its construction. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">School House and Town Hall</span> United States historic place

The School House and Town Hall is a historic municipal building on Schoolhouse Road, just west of United States Route 7 in the center of Leicester, Vermont. Built about 1858, it is a fine example of late Greek Revival architecture, and is the town's best-preserved district schoolhouse. Its upper floor has served as the town hall since its construction. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salisbury Town Hall</span> United States historic place

Salisbury Town Hall is a historic municipal building at Maple and Prospect streets in Salisbury, Vermont. Built in 1869, it is a fine local example of Greek Revival architecture, and has served the rural community in a variety of ways: as town hall, library, and as educational facility. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornwall Town Hall</span> United States historic place

The Cornwall Town Hall is located at 2629 Vermont Route 30 in Cornwall, Vermont. Built in 1880 and enlarged in 1905 to also house the local Grange chapter, it is one of the rural community's few examples of Italianate architecture, and has served as a community meeting point since its construction. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ira Hill House</span> Historic house in Vermont, United States

The Ira Hill House is a historic house at 2304 Main Streets in Isle La Motte, Vermont. Built in 1822 for a prominent local citizen by James Ritchie, a regionally acclaimed stonemason, it is one of the rural community's finer stone houses of the period. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dr. B. J. Kendall Company</span> United States historic place

The Dr. B.J. Kendall Company is a historic industrial facility at 228 North Main Street in the Enosburg Falls village of Enosburgh, Vermont. Built in 1880, it was for many years the site where "Kendall's Spavin Cure", a treatment for a horse ailment, was manufactured and marketed. This business was one of the town's economic successes, its owners contributing significantly to its architectural heritage. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993; as of 2016, it is standing vacant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice Lord Goodine House</span> Historic house in Vermont, United States

The Alice Lord Goodine House is a historic house at 1304 Scott Highway in Groton, Vermont. It presently houses the Groton Free Public Library. The building has a complex history, and is tied to the earliest settlement period of the village. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. S. Sweeney Store, Barn, Livery and Hall</span> United States historic place

The J.S. Sweeney Store, Barn, Livery and Hall were a trio of historically important commercial buildings on Vermont Route 105 in East Charleston, Vermont. Dating as far back as 1860, the general store, bank barn, and combination livery and community hall have been a center of community activity since their construction. They were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. Of the three buildings, only the store is still standing.

The Maple Hill Farm is a historic farm property at 65 Maple Hill Road in Norwich, Vermont. Encompassing more than 40 acres (16 ha) of woodlands and pasture, the farm has more than 200 years of architectural history, including a late 18th-century farmhouse built by Peter Olcott, and two barns from that period. It remained an active farm property until 1966. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.

The Meeting House Farm is a historic farm property at 128 Union Village Road in Norwich, Vermont. Encompassing more than 90 acres (36 ha) of woodlands and pasture, the farm has more than 200 years of architectural history, including a late 18th-century farmhouse and an early 19th-century barn. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Lisa J. Phinney (1991). "NRHP nomination for Reading Town Hall". National Park Service . Retrieved 2016-08-14. with photos from 1991