Plainfield Town Hall is one of two

town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

s in

Plainfield, New Hampshire Plainfield is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. At the time of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 2,459. The town is home to the Helen Woodruff Smith Bird Sanctuary and Annie Duncan State Forest. The village of ...

. This town hall stands on

New Hampshire Route 12A New Hampshire Route 12 is a long north–south state highway in southwestern New Hampshire. Its southern terminus is at the Massachusetts state line in Fitzwilliam, where it continues south as Massachusetts Route 12. Its northern terminus is ...

, north of its junction with Daniels Road. Built in 1846 using timber from an earlier town hall, it is a good example of vernacular Greek Revival architecture. It is further notable for the artwork on its stage backdrop, executed by

Maxfield Parrish Maxfield Parrish (July 25, 1870 – March 30, 1966) was an American painter and illustration, illustrator active in the first half of the 20th century. His works featured distinctive saturated hues and idealized neo-classical imagery. The ...

. The building was listed on 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 ...

in 1985.

Description and history

Plainfield Town Hall is located in the village center of Plainfield, on the east side of NH 12A. It is a single-story wood-frame structure, with a gabled roof and clapboarded exterior. The main facade is three bays wide, with a center entrance flanked by what appear to be tall sash windows, but are in fact 20-light fixed sashes topped by blinds. The left window is itself flanked by high-set smaller sash windows. Plainfield Town Hall Stage

The building was built in three phases, the first occurring in 1846, when the

Greek Revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

main block, a simple rectangular wood-frame structure with wooden clapboards, was built. In 1916 an addition was made to the rear of the building, increasing its size by about 1/3, in which a stage and theatrical facilities were added. This section is particularly notable for the stage backdrop and wings, which are one of only three known examples of such work decorated by the artist

, a resident of Plainfield and a participant in the nearby

Cornish Art Colony The Cornish Art Colony (or Cornish Artists’ Colony, or Cornish Colony) was a popular art colony centered in Cornish, New Hampshire, from about 1895 through the years of World War I. Attracted by the natural beauty of the area, about 100 artis ...

. A shed addition was later added to the rear of the building. Governance of Plainfield has traditionally been divided between Plainfield Village and Meriden, where a second 19th-century town hall stands. The band

Okkervil River Okkervil River is an American rock band led by singer-songwriter Will Sheff. Formed in Austin, Texas, in 1998, the band takes its name from a short story by Russian author Tatyana Tolstaya set on the river Okkervil in Saint Petersburg. They bega ...

used the stage as the set of their lyric video for the son
"It Was My Season
"

References

{{NRHP in Sullivan County, New Hampshire City and town halls on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire Greek Revival architecture in New Hampshire Government buildings completed in 1846 Buildings and structures in Sullivan County, New Hampshire National Register of Historic Places in Sullivan County, New Hampshire Plainfield, New Hampshire

Description and history

See also

References