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Taunton City Hall is an historic city hall containing the offices of the municipal government for the city of
Taunton, Massachusetts Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the seat of Bristol County. Taunton is situated on the Taunton River which winds its way through the city on its way to Mount Hope Bay, to the south. At the 2020 cen ...
, including the office of the mayor and the city council chambers. The building was originally constructed in 1848, and expanded in 1896. It is a contributing property to the Church Green national historic district, located at the intersection of
U.S. Route 44 U.S. Route 44 (US 44) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that runs for through four states in the Northeastern United States. The western terminus is at US 209 and New York State Route 55 (NY 55) in Kerhonkson, ...
and State Route 140. An arson fire in 2010 caused severe damage and forced the building to close for ten years.


Historical notes

The current city hall is located on land once owned by
Marcus Morton Marcus Morton (1784 – February 6, 1864) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician from Taunton, Massachusetts. He served two terms as Governor of Massachusetts and several months as Acting Governor following the death in 1825 of Willia ...
, former governor of Massachusetts. Construction of the original building began in March 1848 and was completed in November of that same year. In 1853, a second story was added to the building. The original brick building was designed and built by Earl E. Ryder of Taunton. Taunton High School was located in the second floor of city hall between 1854 and 1885. In 1889, a memorial plaque listing the names of Tauntonians killed in action during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
was dedicated inside Taunton City Hall. In July 1896 the original castle-like facade of city hall was removed, and replaced with a large granite addition designed in the
Renaissance revival Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...
style by architect J. Merrill Brown at a cost of $45,000. Taunton City Hall also contains memorial plaques to city victims of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.''A History of Taunton Massachusetts'', William F. Hanna, 2007


2010 arson fire

On the morning of August 17, 2010, an arsonist broke into the fourth-floor attic and set the building ablaze. Efforts to put out the fire caused considerable water damage to saturated walls and ceilings, nearly all of which were later torn apart to prevent mold. Estimates to repair City Hall have ranged from $15 million to $23 million. City operations were moved temporarily to Oak Street, in what was the Lowell M. Maxham School. In December 2014, the Star Theater/Leonard Block building, adjacent to City Hall, was demolished, in hopes that the demolition would make it easier to repair City Hall.


Renovation and re-opening

A $27 million renovation of Taunton City Hall began in February 2019 and was completed in September 2020, ten years after the fire. The original 1846 main building was torn down due to poor condition, and the 1896 addition was saved and renovated. A new addition was built in place of the demolished 1846 section. Details like plaques, fireplaces, and old vault doors were retained. Taunton City Hall reopened its doors in October 2020.


See also

*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Taunton, Massachusetts List of Registered Historic Places in Taunton, Massachusetts, which has been transferred from and is an integral part of National Register of Historic Places listings in Bristol County, Massachusetts ...
*
Old Colony Historical Society The Old Colony History Museum (OCHM) is located at 66 Church Green in Taunton, Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. Since 1926, the museum has occupied the historic former Bristol Academy school building. The building was designed in 1 ...
* First Parish Church (Taunton, Massachusetts)


References


External links


Official City of Taunton website
{{Commons category, Taunton City Hall
Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...
City Hall Architecture in Massachusetts Historic district contributing properties in Massachusetts Burned buildings and structures in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Taunton, Massachusetts City and town halls on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts