Reading Town Hall, the town hall of Reading, Vermont, is located at the junction of Vermont Route 106 and Pleasant Street in the village of Felchville. Built in 1915 as a gift from a native son, the barn-like structure is a fine local example of Colonial Revival architecture, and has been a center of local civic activity since its construction. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.[1]
Description and history
Reading Town Hall stands prominently at the southwest corner of VT 106 and Pleasant Street in Felchville, the rural community's principal village. It is a large 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, with bellcast gambrel roof, and an exterior clad in wooden shingles. The main facade faces east toward VT 106, and is symmetrical, with a centered entrance framed by paired pilasters and a corniced entablature. The entry is flanked by sash windows on either side, with three in the second story and one in the half story above. The interior has a large auditorium on the upper floor, with space for post office, town clerk, and a banquet hall on the ground floor.[2]
The building was constructed in 1911, its funding provided by Wallace F. Robinson, a Reading native son who succeeded in business in Boston, Massachusetts. The building was designed by J.E. Morse of Springfield, and is unusual among the state's town halls for its barn-like appearance. Robinson in 1916 also provided the town with an endowment for the building's maintenance.
See also
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ Lisa J. Phinney (1991). "NRHP nomination for Reading Town Hall". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-08-14. with photos from 1991