Old Southeast Town Hall
The Old Southeast Town Hall is a former town hall on Main Street ( US Highway 6 ) in Brewster in New York , United States . The building was constructed in 1896 and housed the main office of the Town of Southeast , which Brewster is a part of. In 1964, the City Manager and Treasurer moved to the recently closed First National Bank of Brewster building a little further down the same street, although some city government offices are still in the building, which also houses a local history museum.
The building was entered on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, reflecting the importance of this early fully developed structure of the Colonial Revival .
Building
The building is a three-story rectangular structure with three yokes , in stretcher bond and is now plastered with spatula. The front facade has a separate, accentuated main entrance with a portico at the level of the second floor, which is framed by pilasters . These extend continuously to the roof edge. The entrance itself, which is now behind modern porch doors, consists of four wooden doors that are framed in the neoclassical style with recessed columns , full main beams and a large skylight. There are sliding windows on both sides of the portico, within the similarly shaped aprons over the smaller side entrances.
The hipped roof is interrupted on the front by three dormer windows, whose tapered wreaths reflect the neo-Moorish trend in architecture of the early 19th century. Four console with chimneys sit on the ridge.
The arrangement of the other four windows on the front is irregular. The original wrought iron fire escape is still on the east side . On the south side there is an additional entrance to the basement of the building. At its western end there is a small, similarly built wing, which was added shortly after the building was completed and which housed a prison ; it is the only extension of the building.
Inside, the floor on the ground floor is covered with bare marble . The ceiling is supported by two rows of cast iron columns. The main staircase leads to an auditorium on the first floor. This occupies the two floors up to the wooden, visible roof ceiling . The three dormers provide the light for the balcony in the auditorium behind.
history
Brewster and the surrounding area saw significant growth in the years following the American Civil War , due to the construction of the Harlem Valley Railroad . Therefore, in 1869, a new town hall was built in the architectural style of the Second Empire . This structure burned down on February 23, 1880, when a fire on the south side of Main Street destroyed many buildings. A new building erected in 1882 met the same fate in 1893.
With these two fires in mind, the current building was built by New York City's Child & DeGroll company to be as fireproof as possible by using safer materials like iron and brick. The new building opened in 1896 and the prison wing to the west was added in 1900.
The city administration settled in the building until the rooms became too small due to further growth. In 1964 the Treasurer and City Manager moved to the First National Bank of Brewster building near Brewster Station on the Metro-North Railroad , which had recently become vacant when the bank closed. The Southeast Museum , founded a year earlier , finally moved into the building.
Before the building was recognized as a monument, it was extensively renovated in 1977. This work, which returned the structure to its original appearance, was jointly funded by the museum and Village Brewster. The executive architect Richard Brennan from New Canaan , Connecticut used the original plans for the restoration. The stage was extended three meters to meet the needs of modern performance and the basement was converted to accommodate some of the smaller offices of the city administration and other community facilities, as well as the city court.
The city's general plan, updated in 2002, recommended measures according to which the building would meet the current legal requirements and its use should be improved. In particular, the court was in too narrow spaces. This plan eventually led to the construction of a new town hall and the complete withdrawal of the city administration.
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c d e L. Corwin Sharp: National Register of Historic Places nomination, Old Southeast Town Hall ( English ) New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation . March 28, 1979. Retrieved August 24, 2008.
- ^ History of the Brewster Fire Dept ( English ) Brewster Fire Department. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved August 24, 2008: “ On the 23rd of February, 1880, a great fire destroyed much of the south side of Main Street ... Many buildings were destroyed; the Town Hall, though badly damaged, which will soon be rebuilt. "
- ^ The Fire Department in its Infancy ( English ) Brewster Fire Department. Archived from the original on July 5, 2008. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved August 24, 2008: " In 1893, the Town Hall built after the 1882 fire was burnt and an impressive building (The" Old Town Hall "as it is called today) was erected and dedicated in 1896. "
- ↑ Welcome to the Southeast Museum ( English ) Southeast Museum. Retrieved August 10, 2008.
- ↑ 2002 Town of Southeast Master Plan update, Section 9, Community Facilities and Services ( English , PDF; 155 kB) Southeast Museum. June 2002. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved August 24, 2008.
Coordinates: 41 ° 23 ′ 28 " N , 73 ° 37 ′ 2" W.