The Wakefield Town Hall and Opera House is a historic municipal building at 2 High Street in the
Sanbornville village of
Wakefield, New Hampshire. Built in 1895, it is a prominent local example of
Romanesque architecture, and has housed civic and social activities since its construction. The building was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 2007,
and the
New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places in 2002.
Description and history
The Wakefield Town Hall and Opera House is prominently located in the center of Sanbornville, at the northeast corner of High Street and Meadow Street (
New Hampshire Route 109
New Hampshire Route 109 (abbreviated NH 109) is a north–south highway in Carroll County, New Hampshire. It runs southeast from Sandwich to the Maine border.
The northern terminus of NH 109 is at New Hampshire Route 113 in the village of Cen ...
). It is a two-story masonry structure, built out of brick with granite trim. It is covered by a hip roof pierced by single wide gable dormers on its street-facing facades. At the street corner, a three-story square tower rises to a pyramidal roof; its upper stages house an open belfry and clock, while its lower sections have windows set in slightly recessed round-arch panels.
[
The building was designed by ]Alvah T. Ramsdell
Alvah T. Ramsdell (1852–1928) was an American architect from Dover, New Hampshire. During his career he designed many substantial New Hampshire civic buildings.
Alvah Ramsdell was born April 15, 1852, in York, Maine. He remained there until ...
and built in 1895, replacing an older town hall (which still stands) in Wakefield Village. The Romanesque building functions primarily as the seat of the local government, but also has a large performance space on the upper floor which is used for theatrical, musical, and social functions. Spaces in the ground floor were also originally used for other purposes, including retail, banking, and post office functions. They have since been taken over to town offices.
See also
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Carroll County, New Hampshire
References
{{NRHP in Carroll County, New Hampshire
City and town halls on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire
Romanesque Revival architecture in New Hampshire
Buildings and structures completed in 1895
Buildings and structures in Carroll County, New Hampshire
Opera houses in New Hampshire
Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire
Opera houses on the National Register of Historic Places
Event venues on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire
National Register of Historic Places in Carroll County, New Hampshire
New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places
Wakefield, New Hampshire