Wellesley's Old Town Hall To Fall
By Sarah Amtower | Online Only | Apr. 22, 2008
Although the original town hall in Wellesley, Mass., will be demolished this fall, a local group is working to preserve as much of it as possible. Longtime owner Wellesley Country Club will tear it down to make way for a new clubhouse, already under construction.
Built as a community center and almshouse in 1838, the two-story structure is known as the birthplace of Wellesley: In 1880, residents of then West Needham cast their votes there to create the independent town of Wellesley. It served as the town hall from 1881 until 1885, when it became a "poor farm," or low-income housing. The Wellesley Country Club purchased the property in the 1920s.
The town's historical commission learned about the country club's demolition plan three years ago. Initially, the commission wanted to move the structure to a local college campus, but the 36-foot-by-90-foot building was too large for that site. When demolition seemed inevitable, the commission proposed to dismantle and catalog the structure's historical elements and store them until it finds a new use. The town approved that plan earlier this month.
"The fact that this building tells Wellesley's story is critical," says Deborah Bates, one of the seven members of the Wellesley Historical Commission. "When town members voted to approve the plan, they really began to understand that history belongs to everyone, and that they had to do something."
Most of the $300,000 salvage project will be funded by taxes generated from the Massachusetts Community Preservation Act, which the state passed eight years ago.
Now the commission is continuing its search for a new steward for the dismantled building. "We're excited that people are considering it as an option, and that's all we can hope for," says Linda Buffum, commission chair. "I'm optimistic. We've got some viable options, certainly more than we had a year ago."
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Comments
Submitted by Pat at: April 28, 2008
Great solutions come from great minds! Kudo's to everybody who worked and will be working on this project.
Submitted by Robert at: April 23, 2008
That is truly a SHAME! You'd think members of THE COUNTRY CLUB would be in the forefront of preservation in their community!!!!