City Hall is a historic

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

in Chicopee,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. Located in the heart of Chicopee at Market Square, the building (built 1871) is in the

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian R ...

style, with a rose window (usually associated with churches) and a tower modeled on that of the

Palazzo Vecchio The Palazzo Vecchio ( "Old Palace") is the City hall, town hall of Florence, Italy. It overlooks the Piazza della Signoria, which holds a copy of Michelangelo's ''David (Michelangelo), David'' statue, and the gallery of statues in the adjacent ...

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. It was designed by

Charles Edward Parker Charles Edward Parker (1826-1890) was an American architect from Boston, Massachusetts. Life and career After growing up in Keene, New Hampshire, Parker moved to Boston in the 1840s, where he worked for architect Gridley J. F. Bryant. Around 184 ...

History and architecture

Chicopee purchased land from the

Ames Manufacturing Company Ames Manufacturing Company was a manufacturer of swords, tools and cutlery in Chicopee, Massachusetts, as well as an iron and bronze foundry. They were a major provider of side arms, swords, light artillery, and heavy ordnance for the Union in the ...

in 1869 as a site for its new city hall, and a committee of leading citizens was established to oversee its design and construction. The committee selected Charles E. Parker of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

to design the new building, and construction took place in 1871. Parker's design was modelled on the

, the historic town hall of

Tuscany, Italy Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

. The building was dedicated on December 21, 1871. By far the most prominent feature of the building is its tower, similar to its Florentine inspiration. It is topped by a golden

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

statue weighing and having a wingspan. The tower houses a bell, which was historically used on public occasions and to announce fire alarms. A clock mechanism was added in 1888, with faces on three of the tower's four sides. The civic building is unusual for having a rose window, usually associated with churches and finished in stained glass. The building continues to be used for city offices. The police station was originally located in the basement, but was moved in 1929 to a newly constructed annex before later being moved to the Chicopee Falls section of the city where it presently shares its own complex with the Chicopee Fire Department. The building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1974. As of 2020 the City Hall is undergoing a major external renovation project.

References

External links

City Hall history
by the City of Chicopee {{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Chicopee Buildings and structures in Chicopee, Massachusetts Chicopee National Register of Historic Places in Hampden County, Massachusetts Government buildings completed in 1871 Romanesque Revival architecture in Massachusetts

History and architecture

See also

References

External links