Oakes Ames Memorial Hall

{{Infobox NRHP

| name = Oakes Ames Memorial Hall

| nrhp_type = nhldcp

| nrhp_type2 = cp

| nocat = yes

| image = Oakes Ames Memorial Hall (North Easton, MA) - front facade.JPG

| caption =

| coordinates = {{coord|42|4|2|N|71|6|18|W|display=inline,title}}

| location = Easton, Massachusetts

| nearest_city =

| area =

| built = 1879-1881

| architect = Henry Hobson Richardson

| architecture = Richardsonian Romanesque

| designated =

| designated_nrhp_type = December 23, 1987

| designated_nrhp_type2 = November 3, 1972

| established =

| visitation_num =

| visitation_year =

| partof_refnum = 87002598

| partof = H. H. Richardson Historic District of North Easton

| mpsub =

}}

Oakes Ames Memorial Hall is a historic hall designed by noted American architect H. H. Richardson, with landscaping by Frederick Law Olmsted. It is located on Main Street in the village of North Easton in Easton, Massachusetts, immediately adjacent to another Richardson building, Ames Free Library.

History

File:The Town Hall, North Easton, Massachusetts.jpg, currently in the Metropolitan Museum of Art]]

The hall was built 1879–81 as a gift to the town from children of Congressman Oakes Ames. It was originally intended for use as a Town Hall but in practice has mainly served as a meeting space for private groups. It was due to dissent amongst different groups in the town at the time that the Oakes Ames Memorial Hall was never used for its intended purpose as the town hall, and to this day the Frothingham House is used for this purpose.{{Cite web |title=History of Easton, Massachusetts |url=http://www.amesfreelibrary.org/Popups/History_easton.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150430211242/http://www.amesfreelibrary.org/Popups/History_easton.html |archive-date=2015-04-30 |website=Ames Free Library}}

Features

The structure's main facade, altogether {{convert|96|ft|m}} long by {{convert|51|ft|m}} deep, presents an arcade of five massive arches with a row of windows set above and an octagonal tower at its right corner. Its first floor is constructed of native, pinkish-gray North Easton granite with Longmeadown brownstone trim. The second floor is brick, with a north-facing dormer half finished in timber and stucco. The steeply peaked roof above is finished in red tile. The front's third-floor, dormer window is wreathed with sculpted foliage, and displays the initials O. A. and twelve signs of the zodiac.

The main hall inside is on the second floor, and {{convert|59|ft|m}} long by {{convert|47|ft|m}} wide with a {{convert|20|ft|m|adj=on}} height. It contains a stage (26 by 18 feet). This arrangement proved impractical due to inadequate stairway access to the hall. The first floor contains a small meeting room and service rooms; the attic contains a Masonic hall.

Gallery

Image:RichardsonNEaton.jpg|Oakes Ames Memorial Hall

Image:Oakes Ames Memorial Hall (North Easton, MA) - side view.JPG|Side view

Image:Oakes Ames Memorial Hall (North Easton, MA) - facade detail.JPG|Facade detail

Image:Oakes Ames Memorial Hall (North Easton, MA) - detail.JPG|Detail

Image:Oakes Ames Memorial Hall (North Easton, MA) - tower detail.JPG|Tower detail

Image:Oakes Ames Memorial Hall and Ames Free Library (North Easton, MA).JPG|Oakes Ames Memorial Hall with Ames Free Library in background

References

Oakes Ames: A Memoir with an Account of the Dedication of Oakes Ames Memorial Hall at North Easton, Massachusetts, November 17, 1881, printed at the Riverside Press, 1883, pages 55–57.
Jeffrey Karl Ochsner, H. H. Richardson: Complete Architectural Works, MIT Press, 1985, pages 33–34. {{ISBN|0-262-65015-0}}.
[http://www.eastonmass.net/historic/ameshall.htm Easton Historic Society (with photos)]