Citizens Hall is a historic municipal building at 13 Willard Hill Road in
Interlaken
, neighboring_municipalities= Bönigen, Därligen, Matten bei Interlaken, Ringgenberg, Unterseen
, twintowns = Scottsdale (USA), Ōtsu (Japan), Třeboň (Czech Republic)
Interlaken (; lit.: ''between lakes'') is a Swiss town and mun ...
, a village of
Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,018 at the 2020 census. A year-round resort area, Stockbridge is h ...
. Built in 1870 as a schoolhouse and community meeting center, it is a well-preserved local example of Second Empire architecture. The hall 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 1972, and included as a contributing property in the
Old Curtisville Historic District
Old Curtisville Historic District encompasses village center of Interlaken in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It is historically significant as the site of the first wood-based newsprint paper mill in the United States, and has a well-preserved c ...
in 1976.
It now houses Berkshire Art Center (IS183, INC).
Description and history
Citizens Hall is located in the village of Interlaken, on the west side of Willard Hill Road south of its junctions with Interlaken Cross Road and Interlaken Road. It is a two-story wood frame building, with a mansard roof and flushboarded exterior with corner quoining. The roof cornice is adorned with delicately carved wooden brackets. The central portion of the main facade projects, with a three-story tower projecting slightly further forward. The main entrance is located in the base of the tower, which is also topped by a mansard-style roof with an iron railing at the top. Above the entrance is a three-part Palladian style window, each section having a rounded top. Ground floor windows are framed by bracketed cornices and sills.
In 1866 the town of Stockbridge abolished its district school system, opting instead for a scheme in which graded schools were located in each of the town's villages. This
The hall was built in 1870 as a school and community center serving what was then a mill village then known as Curtisville, and is now called Interlaken. It was designed by
Pittsfield
Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfieldâ ...
architect
Charles T. Rathbun.
[ In 1991 it was adapted for use by the Interlaken School of Art, later named Berkshire Art Center in June 2022.
]
See also
*
References
{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Buildings and structures in Berkshire County, Massachusetts
National Register of Historic Places in Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Historic district contributing properties in Massachusetts
School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts