Stockbridge Casino

Last updated
Stockbridge Casino
Stockbridge Casino, Stockbridge MA.jpg
Stockbridge Casino
USA Massachusetts location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location1 Yale Hill Rd., Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°16′56″N73°18′6″W / 42.28222°N 73.30167°W / 42.28222; -73.30167
Area1.5 acres (0.61 ha)
Built1887 (1887)
Architect McKim, Mead & White
Architectural styleQueen Anne
NRHP reference No. 76000249 [1]
Added to NRHPAugust 27, 1976

The Stockbridge Casino is a historic building at the junction of East Main Street and Yale Hill Road in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Built in 1887, it is a prominent local work of architect Stanford White, and has served as a cultural center in the community since its construction, despite being moved in 1928. Now a part of the grounds of the Berkshire Theatre Festival, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. [1]

Contents

Description and history

The former Stockbridge Casino is set east of Stockbridge's Main Street downtown, at the northwest corner of Yale Hill Road and East Main Street. It is a two-story wood-frame structure, with a hip roof and clapboarded exterior. The roof is capped by a cupola, mounted in eight small round columns which are surrounded by a low balustrade. On the front roof face, the cupola flanked by round-headed dormers. The main facade has a projecting two-story center section, composed of three bays articulated by engaged round columns. Each of these bays has a paneled first floor and a rounded window on the second. Entrances are located flanking this projecting bay, accessed via stairs at differing elevations. The interior has undergone some alterations from its original appearance, due to its conversion to a theatrical performance space. [2]

Designed by Stanford White, the casino was built in 1887 near the western end of Main Street at the base of Prospect Hill, and for many years was a popular recreational and social attraction (according to older usages of the word "casino", it was not necessarily a gambling establishment). After falling into decline, the property was purchased in 1927 by Mabel Choate, owner of the nearby Naumkeag estate. She sought the property as a location for the Mission House, and was not interested in the casino building. She sold it for $1 [3] to businessman and artist Walter Leighton Clark on the condition that it be moved. Together with sculptor Daniel Chester French and Dr. Austen Fox Riggs, [4] he founded the Three Arts Society, which purchased the building and moved it to its current location. The building was renovated and reopened in 1928 as the Berkshire Playhouse, which later became the Berkshire Theatre Festival. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mission House (Stockbridge, Massachusetts)</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Mission House is an historic house located at 19 Main Street, Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It was built between 1741 and 1742 by a Christian missionary to the local Mahicans. It is a National Historic Landmark, designated in 1968 as a rare surviving example of a colonial mission house. It is now owned and operated as a nonprofit museum by the Trustees of Reservations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church on the Hill (Lenox, Massachusetts)</span> Historic church in Massachusetts, United States

The Church on the Hill is a historic church building at 169 Main Street in Lenox, Massachusetts. Built in 1805, it is one of a small number of surviving Federal period churches in the region. Its congregation, gathered in 1769, belongs to the United Church of Christ, and its offices are located at 55 Main Street. The church building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Ranck Round Barn</span> United States historic place

The Thomas Ranck Round Barn is a round barn in Waterloo Township near the Fayette-Wayne County, Indiana county line. It is one of many round barns built in Indiana during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Of the round barns built in eastern Indiana during this period the Ranck Round Barn stands out as one of the most elaborately designed structures. The Thomas Ranck Round Barn was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in January 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenox Library (Massachusetts)</span> United States historic place

The Lenox Library is the principal public library of Lenox, Massachusetts. It is managed by the non-profit Lenox Library Association, founded in 1856, and is located at 18 Main Street, in a former county courthouse that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berkshire Theatre Festival</span>

The Berkshire Theatre Festival is one of the oldest professional performing arts venues in the Berkshires, celebrating 100 years of theatre in 2028.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter Leighton Clark</span> American painter

Walter Leighton Clark (1859–1935) was an American businessman, inventor, artist, and philanthropist based in Stockbridge, Massachusetts and New York City.

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

The Corcoran School is an historic school building at 40 Walnut Street in Clinton, Massachusetts. The 2+12-story brick Colonial Revival building was built in 1900 to a design by Boston architect Charles J. Bateman. The rectangular building rises above a raised foundation to a truncated hip roof with a variety of gabled dormers and two cupolas. The entry is centered on a seven-bay facade, beneath a slightly projecting pavilion that rises a full three stories. The entry is recessed under a large round arch, above which is a portico supported by Ionic columns. On the second level of the pavilion are three long, narrow, round-arch windows with granite keystones above, and on the third level are two rectangular sash windows topped by blind arches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Dennis Graded School</span> United States historic place

The West Dennis Graded School is a historic school building at 67 School Street in Dennis, Massachusetts. The two story Greek Revival building was built in 1867, and is the only one of five schools built by the town in that period to survive. In the 1920s the building also served as a polling place and a site for town meetings. It was converted for use as a community center in the 1950s. The school was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berkshire Life Insurance Company Building</span> United States historic place

Berkshire Life Insurance Company Building is a historic commercial building at 5-7 North Street in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. It is located in the heart of downtown Pittsfield, facing Park Square across North Street. Built in 1868, it is one of a trio of Second Empire buildings designed by Louis Weisbsein, a Boston architect, whose style influenced later construction in the city. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, and was included in an expansion of Pittsfield's Park Square Historic District in 1991.

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

Citizens Hall is a historic municipal building at 13 Willard Hill Road in Interlaken, a village of Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Built in 1870 as a schoolhouse and community meeting center, it is a well-preserved local example of Second Empire architecture. The hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and included as a contributing property in the Old Curtisville Historic District in 1976. It now houses Berkshire Art Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hoosac Street School</span> United States historic place

The Hoosac Street School is a historic school building at 20 Hoosac Street in Adams, Massachusetts. Built in 1887, it is a good local example of transitional Queen Anne/Colonial Revival architecture, and a significant reminder of the town's rapid growth in the late 19th century. It was listed on the National Historic Register in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Electric Co. Building</span> United States historic place

The United Electric Co. Building was a historic commercial building at 73 State Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. One of the city's few Beaux-Arts buildings, it was built in 1910 to serve as the headquarters of the United Electric Company, Springfield's supplier of electricity since the 1880s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. It has been mostly demolished, preserving the facade as part of the MGM Springfield casino project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Methuen Water Works</span> United States historic place

The Methuen Water Works is a historic water works building on Cross Street in Methuen, Massachusetts. Built in 1893 or soon thereafter, it was one of the city's first major public works project. The surviving building, designed by Ernest N. Boyden, is a distinctive local example of Romanesque architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. It now houses offices of the city's water department.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucian Newhall House (Lynn, Massachusetts)</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Lucian Newhall House is a historic house in Lynn, Massachusetts. Built in 1866 for a prominent local businessman, it is a high-quality example of Second Empire architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, and included in the Diamond Historic District in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calvary Methodist Church</span> Historic church in Massachusetts, United States

Calvary Methodist Church is a historic Methodist church building at 300 Massachusetts Avenue in Arlington, Massachusetts. Built in 1919-23, the building is a near replica of Boston's Kings Chapel, executed in wood. Its tower is topped by a belfry designed by architect Charles Bulfinch in 1809 and built for use on Boylston Market; it was rescued from demolition and given to the church in 1921. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairlawn (Worcester, Massachusetts)</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

Fairlawn is a historic mansion at 189 May Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is now part of the main building of the Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital. The mansion were the property of James Norcross, a nationally prominent builder whose Norcross Brothers firm was engaged in construction projects involving famous architects, including H. H. Richardson and McKim, Mead & White. The Norcross brothers were also locally prominent, building a number of Worcester landmarks and operating a factory in the city which produced architectural parts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Post Office–Wakefield Main</span> United States historic place

The United States Post Office–Wakefield Main is a historic post office building at 321 Main Street in Wakefield, Massachusetts. Built in 1936 as part of a Depression-era works project, it is a Classical Revival structure that harmonizes with its neighbors. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987, and included in the Common District in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goffstown Public Library</span> United States historic place

The Goffstown Public Library is located at 2 High Street in Goffstown, New Hampshire. The building it occupies was designed by architects Henry M. Francis & Sons and was built in 1909. It is small Classical Revival building built of brick with stone trim, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. It is one of the finest examples of Classical Revival architecture in the town, with a three-bay main facade whose central entrance projects slightly, and is topped by a pediment supported by Ionic columns.

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

West Stockbridge Town Hall is the seat of government of the town of West Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It is located at 9 Main Street. The two story Greek Revival building was built in 1854, and has retained much of its original woodwork and integrity despite its use for a variety of civic purposes in the time since its construction. The hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilton Public and Gregg Free Library</span> United States historic place

The Wilton Public and Gregg Free Library is the public library of Wilton, New Hampshire. It is located in a Classical Revival brick building on Forest Street, near the north end of Wilton's downtown area. The building was designed by the Boston, Massachusetts, firm of McLean & Wright, and built 1905-07. It was a gift of David Almus Gregg, a local manufacturer of building parts; Gregg further gave the library an endowment in 1912. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. "NRHP nomination for Stockbridge Casino". National Archive. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  3. "MACRIS Cultural Inventory Record for Berkshire Playhouse". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-06-28. Retrieved 2009-06-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "Berkshire Theatre Festival :: A History". Archived from the original on 2009-09-02. Retrieved 2009-06-29.