Town Hall Arts Center, formerly the Littleton Town Hall, is located in downtown Littleton,

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

and has been a local professional theatre, producing

comedies Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

and plays to the

Denver metropolitan area Denver is the central city of a conurbation region in the U.S. state of Colorado. The conurbation includes one continuous region consisting of the six central counties of Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson. The Denver r ...

for over 30 years. With The building was designated a

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 ...

on September 4, 1980.

Littleton Town Hall (1920–1977)

Jacques Benedict Jules Jacques Benois Benedict (April 22, 1879 – January 16, 1948) was one of the most prominent architects in Colorado history, whose works include a number of well-known landmarks and buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Place ...

and built in 1920 as a new center for civic activities, the Italianate building contained the treasurer's office, council chambers, fire truck and hose rooms, and a large second-floor auditorium. The design was inspired by the Palazzo della Ragione in

Vicenza Vicenza ( , ; ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region at the northern base of the ''Monte Berico'', where it straddles the Bacchiglione River. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and east of Milan. Vicenza is a th ...

, northern Italy, yet it has American elements like an eagle in the

lunette A lunette (French ''lunette'', "little moon") is a half-moon shaped architectural space, variously filled with sculpture, painted, glazed, filled with recessed masonry, or void. A lunette may also be segmental, and the arch may be an arc take ...

s over the second story windows and the Colorado state flower, the Columbine on the facade. The floor plan was modified beginning in the 1950s to add offices. The Town Hall was one of the first buildings designated under the historic preservation ordinance in 1972. A new office building was occupied by the City of Littleton in 1977. Through

fundraising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

and other efforts, it opened as a performing arts center and

art gallery An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The lon ...

in 1983.

Town Hall Arts Center (since 1983)

Town Hall Arts Center is now a live theater, cultural center, and art gallery, offering six main stage musicals or comedies and seven to eight concerts during the September through June production season. The theater program for children produces two shows annually with professional actors. Classes are held throughout the year for students aged seven to seventeen in stage craft, acting, and creative dramatics.

References

External links

{{commons category
Official Town Hall Arts Center WebsiteHistory and photographs of the old Town Hall
at

Historic American Buildings Survey Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...

Italianate architecture in Colorado Government buildings completed in 1920 Theatres in Colorado City and town halls on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado Littleton, Colorado Buildings and structures in Arapahoe County, Colorado Tourist attractions in Arapahoe County, Colorado National Register of Historic Places in Arapahoe County, Colorado

Littleton Town Hall (1920–1977)

Town Hall Arts Center (since 1983)

References

Further reading

External links