The Lancaster Municipal Building is a multi-purpose public building in Lancaster, Wisconsin. It houses the city hall and the Grantland Theatre, a single screen movie theatre and community performance venue. The building was added to 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 1983 for its significance as an example of local

Prairie School Prairie School is a late 19th- and early 20th-century architectural style, most common in the Midwestern United States. The style is usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in ...

architecture. The facade features amber colored brick and white terra cotta ornamentation, while the interior includes oak moldings and plaster decoration.

History

Madison architects

Claude and Starck Claude and Starck was an architectural firm in Madison, Wisconsin, at the turn of the twentieth century. The firm was a partnership of Louis W. Claude (1868-1951) and Edward F. Starck (1868-1947). Established in 1896, the firm dissolved in 1928. Th ...

designed the building in 1923 to house city offices, meeting rooms, the fire department and a theater. Its cost was reported to be $130,000. The concept of a mixed-use city hall and theater was likely inspired by the Richland Center City Auditorium built in nearby

Richland Center, Wisconsin Richland Center is a city in Richland County, Wisconsin, United States that also serves as the county seat. The population was 5,114 at the 2020 census. History Richland Center was founded in 1851 by Ira Sherwin Hazeltine, a native of Andover, Ve ...

in 1912. The building has had several modifications since its original construction. The fire department moved to an offsite location in 1996, and the original three-bay fire station now houses a senior center meeting space. A single story addition on the south side of the building, originally built for the fire department, now houses the city police station.

References

{{reflist City and town halls on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin Theatres in Wisconsin Buildings and structures in Grant County, Wisconsin Prairie School architecture in Wisconsin Government buildings completed in 1923 National Register of Historic Places in Grant County, Wisconsin City and town halls in Wisconsin