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The Newton City Hall and War Memorial is a historic city hall and war memorial building located in the village of Newton Centre in
Current Newton City Hall is located in central Newton, and occupies a large triangular lot bounded on the north by Commonwealth Avenue, on the southwest by Homer Street, and on the east by Walnut Street. Walnut Street and Commonwealth Avenue are major roadways providing access to other parts of the city, and Homer Street is a largely residential street that roughly parallels Commonwealth Avenue. The Newton Free Library is located across Homer Street to the south.
The building is a monumental brick Georgian Revival structure, two stories in height, with a central north-south section, flanking wings that project forward (to the east) at either end, and a rear wing extending from the center to the west. Classical features are found all across the building, including two-story brick pilasters demarcating parts of the building, corner quoining in stone, and a Greek temple-style portico supported by four Corinthian columns. The western portion of the building, which serves as the war memorial, is crowned by an elaborate steeple.
Newton was incorporated as a city (having previously been a town) in 1873, and adapted its then-existing town hall on Washington Street for use as city hall. This new building was constructed in 1931, having a dedication of the war memorial on Armistice Day (November 11), 1931, and a dedication of the combined functions on the same day the following year. The building was designed by the noted Lindsey Chapel: Its History & Architecture
/ref> The triangular parcel was landscaped by the
City of Newton website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Newton City Hall And War Memorial National Register of Historic Places in Newton, Massachusetts City and town halls on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Newton, Massachusetts Clock towers in Massachusetts Colonial Revival architecture in Massachusetts Government buildings completed in 1932 World War I memorials in the United States
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located roughly west of Downtown Boston, and comprises a patchwork of thirteen villages. The city borders Boston to the northeast and southeast (via the neighborhoods of ...
. Built in 1932 in the Colonial Revival
The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture.
The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the arch ...
style, the building was designed by Allen and Collens, with landscaping by the renowned Olmsted Brothers
The Olmsted Brothers company was a Landscape architecture, landscape architectural firm in the United States, established in 1898 by brothers John Charles Olmsted (1852–1920) and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. (1870–1957), sons of the landscape ar ...
. The building's purpose was to serve as a new city hall, and as a memorial to the city's soldiers of the First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. On February 16, 1990, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.
Description and history
The original Newton City Hall was and located at 1321 Washington Street where Captain Ryan Park is located today.
Current Newton City Hall is located in central Newton, and occupies a large triangular lot bounded on the north by Commonwealth Avenue, on the southwest by Homer Street, and on the east by Walnut Street. Walnut Street and Commonwealth Avenue are major roadways providing access to other parts of the city, and Homer Street is a largely residential street that roughly parallels Commonwealth Avenue. The Newton Free Library is located across Homer Street to the south.
The building is a monumental brick Georgian Revival structure, two stories in height, with a central north-south section, flanking wings that project forward (to the east) at either end, and a rear wing extending from the center to the west. Classical features are found all across the building, including two-story brick pilasters demarcating parts of the building, corner quoining in stone, and a Greek temple-style portico supported by four Corinthian columns. The western portion of the building, which serves as the war memorial, is crowned by an elaborate steeple.
Newton was incorporated as a city (having previously been a town) in 1873, and adapted its then-existing town hall on Washington Street for use as city hall. This new building was constructed in 1931, having a dedication of the war memorial on Armistice Day (November 11), 1931, and a dedication of the combined functions on the same day the following year. The building was designed by the noted Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
architects Allen and Collens, who had designed many university buildings as well as Second Church in Newton (1916), Lindsey Chapel in Boston (1919) and the Riverside Church in New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
(1928–1930) and who later designed The Cloisters in New York City./ref> The triangular parcel was landscaped by the
Olmsted Brothers
The Olmsted Brothers company was a Landscape architecture, landscape architectural firm in the United States, established in 1898 by brothers John Charles Olmsted (1852–1920) and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. (1870–1957), sons of the landscape ar ...
, specifically to soften the large scale of the building.
See also
*National Register of Historic Places listings in Newton, Massachusetts
__NOTOC__
The following properties in Newton, Massachusetts are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. They are a subset of all properties in National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middle ...
References
External links
City of Newton website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Newton City Hall And War Memorial National Register of Historic Places in Newton, Massachusetts City and town halls on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Newton, Massachusetts Clock towers in Massachusetts Colonial Revival architecture in Massachusetts Government buildings completed in 1932 World War I memorials in the United States