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OMB No. 1024-001g/086 NPS Form 10-900 (Rev. 10-90) RECEIVED 2280 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service SEP | 3 1996 National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NAT. REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACE! NATIONAL PARK SERVICE This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (National Register Bulletin 16A). Complete each item by marking "x" in the appropriate box or by entering the information requested.If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions.
Place additional entries and narrative items on continuation sheets (NPS Form 10-900a). Use a typewriter, word processor, or computer, to complete all items. 1. Name of Property historic name_Norwood Memorial Municipal Building other names/site number Norwood Town Hall 2. Location street & number_566 Washington Street _ N/A not for publication city or town_Norwood N/A vicinity state_Massachusetts codeMA county_Norfolk _code_021 zip code_02062 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1986, as amended, 1 hereby certify that this nomination A meets - does not meet the National Register Criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant nationally -statewide locally. ( See continuation sheet for additional comments.) ndit B. M. Donough 9996 Signature of certifying official/Title JudittB.
McDonough, Executive Director Massachusetts Historical Commission, State Historic Preservation Officer State or Federal agency and bureau In my opinion, the property -meets does not meet the National Register criteria. (See continuation sheet for additional Comments.) Signature of certifying official/Title Date State or Federal agency and bureau 4. National Park Service Certification 1,hereby certify that this property is: Ventered in the National Register - See continuation sheet. - determined eligible for the National Register - See continuation sheet. - determined not eligible for the National Register - removed from the National Register - other (explain): Fetion I Baell Date of Action 10.10.96 Norwood Memorial Municipal Building Name of Property 5.
Classification Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply) _ private X public-local _ public-State - public-Federal Norfolk County, MA County and State Category of Property (Check only one box) X building - district _ site _ structure _ object Number of Resources within Property (Do not include previously listed resources in the count.) Contributing 2 Noncontributing buildings _ sites _ structures 1 objects 3 Total Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register Name of related multiple property listing (Enter "N/A" if property is not part ofa multiple propertylisting.) N/A 6. Function or Use Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions) Politics/Government: Town Government Social: Meeting Hall Miliatary: War Memorial Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions) Politics/Government: Town Governmen Social: Meeting Hall 7.
Description Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions) Gothic Revival Jacobethan Materials (Enter categories from instructions) foundation_Rubble Stone wallsDressed Massachusetts Granite Ashlar with Indiana Limestone roof_Slate other Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current condition of the property on one or more continuation sheets.) See continuation sheet NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet 7 Section number. Page OMa Approval No. 1021-0018 Norwood Memorial Municipal Building Norwood (Norfolk County) Massachusetts 7. DESCRIPTION Constructed between 1927 and 1928, the Norwood Municipal Building is a fine example of Late Gothic Revival public architecture, as designed by Norwood resident William G. Upham.
The town's leading architect during the first half of the 20th century, Upham, designed several Norwood Center buildings including the Talbot Block and Norwood Theater, while further afield, he was responsible for Masonic temples in East Providence, Rhode Island and Waltham, Massachusetts. The Norwood Municipal Building is constructed of dressed Massachusetts granite ashlar stone set in a random pattern with Indiana limestone trimmings and a Maine slate roof. This L-shaped building encompasses three structural components: a 2 1/2 story Memorial Hall dedicated to the memory of Norwood's citizens who died in World War I, a 110 foot tower at its southwest corner and a 3 1/2 half story Town Hall wing. The Norwood Municipal Building, is prominently sited on the north side of the rectangular park known as Veterans of Foreign Wars Square. Together with the United Methodist Church (1885) and St.
Catherine's R.C. Church (1910-12) at the southwestern and northwestern corners of Washington and Nahatan Streets, respectively, the Norwood Municipal Building forms a memorable node of masonry Gothic Revival public buildings. The Norwood Memorial Municipal Building property also includes a small, stucco covered "lock up" or jail house. Additionally, a World War I memorial in the form of a German cannon and cannon carriage captured by American forces in France is located at the southwest corner of this property. The Norwood Memorial Municipal Building property is a likely candidate for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. The Norwood Memorial Municipal Building occupies a 35,806 square foot lot on land that gently slopes down from Washington Street to the Boston and Providence Railroad track, one block to the east.
The "green spaces" of this property bordering the Nahatan and Washington Street facades were originally designed by the Boston-based landscape architect Arthur Shurtcliff. Changes to the landscaped portions of this parcel have probably occurred over time, but to what extent is not clear. Presently, the Nahatan Street side of this property features a walk a linking the tower entrance with the secondary entrance near the southeast corner of the Town Hall. Between the walk and the street is a relatively ample lawn which slopes down to a low, limestone-capped retaining wall. Composed of the same random ashlar materials as the Norwood Memorial Municipal Building, this retaining wall is carried around the corner to Central Street as a free-standing wall averaging 5 to 8 feet in height. This wall shields from view a flight of stairs which is also bordered by a retaining wall.
These stairs link the secondary entrance near the south east corner with Central Street. (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number Page. OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Norwood Memorial Municipal Building Norwood (Norfolk County) Massachusetts Near the southwest corner of this parcel is a concrete walk extending from the tower entrance to the sidewalk bordering Nahatan Street. Both the tower entrance's side walk and the German cannon are flanked by circular areas planted with flowers. The Krupp-manufactured cannon or field piece is set back from the Nahatan and Washington streets' corner and is painted gray; the cannon's training and elevating mechanisms are still intact.
Said to have been captured from German troops by American troops in France during World War I, this artifact of war was donated by The American Legion Post Number 70 as a "finishing touch" at the time of the municipal building's completion in 1928. The planted area between the Memorial Hall and the Washington Street sidewalk is extremely minimal with just enough room for seven low shrubs and a narrow strip of grass. On the north side of the building is an employees' parking lot as well as this property's other significant structure: a rectangular, stucco covered, one and one half story c. 1880s structure originally used as a "lock up" or jail. This interesting structure has been adapted for reuse as a town garage and storage facility. Parged with stucco, this structure exhibits windows with segmental headed, label lintels.
Enclosed by a clipped gable, this building served as a jail or "lock-up" from the 1880s until 1964. The Norwood Center "lock up" is an architecturally significant secondary structure on the municipal building's lot and should be included in the nomination of this property to the National Register of Historic Places. The Town Hall component of the Norwood Memorial Municipal Building stands with its east gable situated close to Central Street, facing an early 20th century red brick Georgian Revival fire station which presently contains a restaurant. To the south of the municipal building is the 47,850 foot Veterans of Foreign Wars Square, a park with an early 1990s reproduction Victorian band stand at its center. To the south of this tree-shaded park is a shopping district characterized by one to three- story Classical and Georgian Revival brick and cast stone commercial buildings.
Diagonally to the southwest of the municipal building's corner tower is the dark hued, asymmetrically massed granite Methodist /Universalist United Church (1885) with its distinctive, half - timbered entrance porch treatments, picturesque massing which includes a prominent spire. Directly across from the Norwood Memorial Municipal Building's west elevation is the gable roofed main facade of the yellow brick, Latin cross-plan St. Catherine 's Roman Catholic Church, designed by Maginnes and Walsh in 1910 to The Norwood Memorial Municipal Building is the most architecturally significant building bordering the Veterans of Foreign Wars Square. On the east side of this park is the Norwood Theater which has recently been returned to its original, mid 1920s appearance.
The plastic facade installed above the marquee during the late 1950s, was removed in 1995 to reveal a handsome Spanish Colonial Revival theater building. This 1920s movie palace encompasses storefronts retaining their original treatments on either side of the theater's entrance. (continued) NPS Form 10-900-2 (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number - Page 3 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Norwood Memorial Municipal Building Norwood (Norfolk County) Massachusetts The Norwood Theater is constructed of masonry materials identical to the orange, cream and medium gray granite of the municipal building (the orange hued granite denotes a high iron content).
The south side of Norwood Square is bordered by the unadorned, planar brick surfaces of the three-story Folan Building; the west side of the square is bordered by one and two-story cast stone and brick commercial blocks. Additionally, the west side of Norwood Square is bordered by the imposing United Church. The general area of the Norwood Municipal Building appears eligible for listing in the National Register as an historic district; however, currently only the municipal building is being considered. In general the primary material for the Norwood Municipal Building's foundations and walls is a dressed Massachusetts granite ashlar stone set in a random pattern.
The trim stone is an Indiana limestone encompassing: molded window surround and mullion assemblies, door and entrance surrounds, decorative low relief carvings, water tables, belt courses, chimney capstones, gable parapet coping stones and the tower finials. In terms of windows, the sash system is a common, steel frame casement window. The sash has been glazed with multi-paned inner frames made up of small panels of glass joined and edge wrapped in a thin sheet metal grid made from a soft, folded sheet lead, soldered at all intersections. Lintels represent the label or drip mold type common to Tudoresque domestic architecture. The gable roofs are covered with Maine slates. The Norwood Municipal building is an amalgam of the Late Gothic Revival and Tudor Revival styles.
The buttresses, pinnacles and pointed arches of the entrance and window enframements speak to the Gothicism of 15th century English Cathedrals. Typical of a building rooted in Medieval architectural traditions, its elevations exhibit a picturesque asymmetry with off-center entrances fenestration, gable, dormer and tower placement. The ecclesiastical sensibility of this building is tempered by the more domestic architectural form, massing and elements of the Memorial Hall and Town Hall wings of the municipal building's remaining Tudoresque structural components. Memorial Hall The municipal building's Memorial Hall wing is a rectangular 2 1/2 story structure bordering Washington Street. Partially abutting the tower's west wall, its south elevation's gable exhibits a main entrance flanked by small, rectangular, multi-pane windows.
The windows of the Memorial Hall are set within label moldings continued from the entrance's stepped lintel moldings. These moldings surround a cast stone plaque depicting Norwood's legendary Revolutionary War era farmer/Minuteman Aaron Guild. The artist of the Guild plaque remains unidentified although it would seem, judging by stylistic characteristics as well as the competent rather than superior quality of its craftsmanship that it is not the work of the highly accomplished Cyrus Edwin Dallin; Dallin's work seems to have been confined to the sculptural detail of the Memorial Hall's north window enframements. Above and aligned with the entrance is an oriel window and a small, narrow attic window. The attic window is set within a steeply pitched gable. The three center bays of the five-bay west elevation exhibit tall, double windows with panel tracery set within label moldings.
Situated to the north and south of this trio are single and double arched windows, respectively, which are flush with a sill course and are half the size of those of the center three bays. Each of the center bays is surmounted by a rectangular plaque containing a shield and a low, steeply pitched gable, while the first and fifth bays feature (continued) NPS Form 10.900-2 (8-86) OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number - Page - Norwood Memorial Municipal Building Norwood (Norfolk County) Massachusetts limestone string courses interrupted by rectangular ornamental panels. Rising from between the first and second and fourth and fifth bays are tall, corbeled chimneys rendered in the Tudoresque manner.
The north elevation of Memorial Hall is dominated by a large and broad pointed arch window composed of five tall and narrow windows containing panel tracery. In recent years, the original opaque glass of the north window, used throughout the hall has been replaced by colored glass. Like the south gable, the north gable of Memorial Hall is steeply pitched and exhibits a small, narrow three pane attic window. Memorial Hall's east elevation_is below the grade of Washington Street. The most northerly bay of this three bay facade features a secondary entrance which opens on to a porch and steps which descend to a parking lot. Set within a Tudoresque label lintel, this side door is surmounted by a multi-pane fanlight with spandrels. To the south of this entrance area is a pair of tall windows which are identically rendered to their counterparts on the west wall.
To the south of these windows is this building's most massive chimney, rising from the parking lot to corbeled brickwork. The Tower The Norwood Municipal Building's tower rises from a rubble stone granite foundation 122 feet to finial - topped pinnacles at each of its four corners. This tower contains a 50 bell carillon given to the town by Walter F. Tilton, a local banker. Access to the municipal building's main entrance is gained via broad arched openings at the tower's south and west walls. Located in the tower's open porch is a large rectangular bronze plaque which reads "Erected in 1928 to commemorate the patriotism and valor of the men and women from Norwood who served our country in time of war". Above the south wall's arch are a banner and shield carved in low relief. The date "1927" appears incised on the banner.
Similarly an ornamental shield (with no banner) appears above the west arch. On the east wall of the tower's open porch is a large rectangular bronze plague which reads "Erected in 1928 to commodate the patriotism and valor of the men and women of Norwood who served our country in time of war" citizens who served on the building committee, the builder's and architect's name). The tower exhibits piers and buttresses which exaggerate the verticality of the tower. The tower walls are pierced by three types of windows; reading from just above the entrance arch to the tower's pinnacles, these include pairs of: loop, narrow label headed, arched and paneled windows. Situated between the octagonal corner pinnacles are parapets exhibiting blind arches and narrow, center pinnacles.
The Norwood Memorial Municipal Building's tower, along with the towers of the Norwood and Plympton Press buildings, ranks among the major landmarks on the town's "skyline". Indeed, this tower, when viewed from the Monroe Street (Cork City) area, east of the commuter railprojecting entrance pavilion exhibiting double doors set within a pointed arch. tracks, transforms a disparate collection of mid- 19th- century workers cottages into memorable streetscapes reminiscent of an English village of considerable age overshadowed by a village church. Similarly, the tower as a (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number - Page - OMB Approval No.
1021-0018 Norwood Memorial Municipal Building Norwood (Norfolk County) Massachusetts backdrop for the area of large, upscale, Italianate homes in the Fred Holland Day House area (Day, Vernon, Cottage Streets), west of Washington Street, enhances the already abundant picturesque qualities of this residential quarter. The Town Hall Wing The Town Hall wing extends eastward from the tower and Memorial Hall segments of the Norwood Memorial Municipal Building. Its six-bay, south elevation overlooks Nahatan Street, a major east-west traffic artery and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Square. From the tower to Central Street, the windows of the south facade increase in size from narrow three pane double windows with simple bar lintels to fully enframed 9-pane double windows.
Running between the basement and first floor windows is a granite belt course which is interrupted at the second bay from Central Street by a shallow, Above this entrance is an oriel window, which, in turn, is surmounted by a narrow, three pane window which is enclosed by a steeply pitched gable. In general, the sash system of the Norwood Memorial Municipal Building's windows is a common, steel frame casement window which represents several types of fenestration, including: narrow single windows containing eight panes of glass; standard size fifteen-pane windows; thirty- and forty two-pane double windows and forty-five pane tripartite windows. The sashes have been glazed with multi-paned inner frames made up of small panels of glass joined and edge wrapped in a thin sheet metal grid made from a soft, folded sheet lead, soldered at all sections.
With the exception of the bank of four windows to the right of the tower entrance, the windows of the Town Hall wing's first floor are treated as multi-pane, transom-topped double openings with deep mullions and label lintel moldings. The second floor is pierced by tripartite windows. Four pedimented dormers appear on the section of the south roof slope between the tower and the entrance bay. Rising from the roof slope just to the east of this entrance bay is a corbeled chimney. The three-bay Central Street or east elevation of the Town Hall wing is below the grade of Washington Street; a center entrance on the east wall provides access to a full basement. This entrance is flanked by double windows and is surmounted by an ornamental plaque containing a shield, which in turn, is topped by a two story oriel which lights a stair hall.
Flanking the oriel on the first and second floors are double and tripartite windows, respectively. The east elevation culminates in an off-center gable with a double attic window. Rising from either side of this gable are tall corbeled chimneys. To the north of this gable is a pedimented tripartite dormer. Briefly, the 3 1/2 story north elevation of the Town Hall wing overlooks an employees' parking lot. Five double window bays are flanked by broad (east) and narrow (west) gable roofed bays. Window and entrance treatments are identical to those featured on other elevations, with the noteworthy exception of the stepped tripartite window that (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number . Page OMB Approval No.
1024-0018 Norwood Memorial Municipal Building Norwood (Norfolk County) Massachusetts lights the main stairway. Four dormers are ranged along the north roof slope between the projecting gables. Norwood Memorial Municipal Building:Noteworthy Interior features The Norwood Municipal Building encompasses five interior spaces noteworthy for their architectural elements and ornamentation, including: The Memorial Hall, Memorial Hall's foyer, main stair hall (first and second floors) and the Selectmens' Chamber. In general, the roster of original architectural elements is extensive. These five public spaces are remarkably intact, retaining original furniture, oak multi-panel wainscoting, memorial plaques, murals, lighting fixtures and plaster cornice and ceiling ornament.
The interior feature most in need of immediate attention are segments of plaster walls around windows that have been stained by rain water filtering through loose enframements and sash. Interior Features: Foyer, Memorial Hall Wing The Memorial Hall wing consists of a foyer and chapel-like hall. Access to the foyer is gained from the street via an entrance on its south wall. The foyer's floor is composed of green, purple and gray slates. The original oak benches rendered in an English Medieval manner still furnish this space. Full length, paneled oak walls exhibit plaques bearing the names of Norwood citizens who fought and died in wars from the Revolution to World War I. These paneled oak walls terminate at an ornate plaster cornice exhibiting shields and Tudor roses intertwined with leafy vines in low relief.
The ceiling is finished in fairly rough stucco from which is suspended a wrought iron chandelier rendered in the Spanish Colonial Revival manner. The architect has heightened the drama of entering the bright, expansive, high-ceilinged Memorial Hall from the foyer by rendering this ante chamber-like space as a dark,intimate and low-celinged space. The Memorial Hall is a long rectangular space characterized by multi-panel oak treatments which extend from the gray, green and purple slate floor to the window sills; the windows are set high on the plaster covered walls. Oak pew-like seating, evidently designed specifically for this hall, is set out in rows, on either side of a center aisle. The hall's north wall features an alcove containing a platform; this stage is set within a great pointed arch and lit by the tall, broad and Gothicized north window.
During the 1980s, colorful red, orange and gold glass replaced the opaque panes of the north wall's large Gothic Revival window. In general the window sash in this room contains opaque glass. The North Window's Enframements with Sculptural figures by Cyrus Edwin Dallin Flanking the center segment of the north window, just below the apex of the north window's arch, are full length sculptural figures by Cyrus Edwin Dallin (1861-1944). Carved from limestone, the figure to the left of the arch depicts a Civil War soldier while a World War I infantryman appears on the right; both figures are situated atop tall piers with corners accented by collonettes. A Civil War soldier is (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number . Page? OMB Approval No.
1024-0018 Norwood Memorial Municipal Building Norwood (Norfolk County) Massachusetts depicted wearing a Union Army uniform complete with cap, half length coat with a cape covering his shoulders. He holds a gun in a vertical position with both hands. His right hand is bent at the elbow and extends across his chest to hold the rifle while his left hand is at his side touching the rifle. The sculptural figure beneath and to the right of the arch's apex depicts an American World War I infantryman whose right hand hangs down at his side while his left arm is extended across his lower torso. A gun in a holster hangs from his wide belt against his left hip.
A narrow ornamental band beneath the north window, exhibits an inscription in Medieval style lettering, rendered in low relief which reads "This Memorial Window Has Been Erected in this Hall as the Gift of Frank Gilman Allen To Honor those who Served the Country in Time of War." panels. This band is flanked by angled piers which rise uninterrupted through the roof line. Frank Gilman Allen was a leading local businessman, in-law of Norwood's prominent Winslow Tannery family and political figure who served as Lieutenant Governor and Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts during the 1920s. Above the north window's apex is a stone carving of an eagle with fully extended wings. Three tall double windows set high on the wall overlook the Memorial Hall's west or Washington Street wall.
The east wall is pierced by two tall windows which overlook the parking lot, while the third bay, situated near the intersection of the hall and tower components, exhibits a tall mural in lieu of a window. Beneath this mural commemorating Norwood soldiers killed during the Civil War is a substantial, boldly carved limestone fireplace mantle reminiscent of the mantles of French Renaissance chateaux . Jean Jacques Hafner's Civil War Memorial Mural Briefly, Hafner's mural features a standing figure of a female angel dressed in white robes, her arms outstretched horizontally. In each hand she holds a laurel wreath which hovers above the heads of women portrayed standing in profile, arms outstretched, nearly touching each others hands. These female figures evidently symbolize the reconciliation of the Union and Confederate states of America.
The southern figure is depicted wearing a sun bonnet while the northern woman is hatless and wears heavier garments. Above the head of the angel is an eagle with a fully extended wing spread. Beneath the angel and its flanking female figures are Union soldiers carrying bayonets over their shoulders. At the lower right, the wives and mothers of the soldiers bid their men farewell as they march off to war. The lower border of the mural bears a painted inscription which reads: "Presented by the GAR Museum Association Composed of the Daughters of Union Veterans, Womens Relief Corps, Sons of Union Veterans and Sons of Union Veterans auxiliary in Memory of the Grand Army of the Republic". Flanking the panel are the dates of the War's commencement and conclusion: 1861 and 1865.
(continued) NPS Form 10.900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number . Page . OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Norwood Memorial Municipal Building Norwood (Norfolk County) Massachusetts The mantle piece beneath this mural is composed of limestone with heavy scroll brackets which support the mantle shelf. The fireplace's interior is extremely deep and the overall stylistic sensibility of the mantle is French Renaissance Revival. (Further research might determine this mantle's origins). The inscription on the shield ornamentation of the mantelpiece reads "Presented by the G.A.R. Memorial association composed of the Daughters of Union Veterans Women's Relief Corps, Sons of Union Veterans and the Sons of Union Veterans Auxiliary. In Memory of the Grand Army of the Republic. 1861-1865.
" Above the entrance to the foyer on the south wall of this room is a balcony with oak railing and turned balusters. The loft behind this railing was originally open and was enclosed during the early 1990s to create a Town Retirement Office. The new stucco covered wall, with its small and narrow oak bordered window has been sensitively rendered to complement the original surface treatments of the meeting hall. Particularly noteworthy is the exposed horizontal and angled oak truss work of the roof. Still intact are wrought iron Spanish Colonial Revival chandeliers. The Main Stair Hall (first floor) is situated within the tower, adjacent to the memorial foyer to the west and the first floor hall of the Town Hall wing to the east.
The portion of the main stair hall adjacent to the tower entry is enclosed by a low ceiling which opens on to a graceful, curving stairway which rises two stories from a slate slab floor to the second floor landing; this stairway features granite treads as well as wood, wrought iron and bronze railing elements. This stairway is lit by three tall and narrow stepped windows. The Main Stair Hall's RevolutionaryWar and World War I Memorial Murals by Jean Jacques Hafner On either side of these windows are murals by Professor Jean Jacques Hafner of Harvard University's School of Architecture depicting soldiers of the American Revolution (upper mural) and World War I (lower mural). Effectively utilizing muted primary colors for these commemorative works, Hafner printed his name at the lower left corner of each mural.
The Revolutionary War mural, depicts a standing figure of a patriot soldier with left hand pointing heavenward while in his right hand is an unfurling American flag. In the lower foreground are three compatriots whose gaze is directed at British Red Coats who are portrayed retreating toward tall ships moored in a harbor visible in the mural's background. Rising above His Majesty's ships are gray and pink tinted clouds in the form of the Statue of Liberty. A small bronze plaque under the mural reads "gift of Arthur C. Tilton and Mabel Tilton Coolidge." Arthur and Mabel were the children of Walter Tilton, the Norwood banker who donated the carillon bells to the Norwood Memorial Municipal Building.
The World War II memorial mural over the lower portion of the stairway depicts American World War I infantrymen or "dough boys" situated within a composition which subtly celebrates the circular form. The infantryman stands at the center of the canvas within a circular space formed by the artist's placement of soldier comrades in the lower foreground. (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (6-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet 9 Section number Page OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Norwood Memorial Municipal Building Norwood (Norfolk County) Massachusetts A helmeted American soldier stands at lower left with his right arm extended in the direction of the central figure; arm bent at the elbow, he holds a rifle in his left hand.
Dressed in the distinctive uniform of an American dough boy, this figure is shown holding a wide-brimmed hat in the hand of his outstretched arm; the circular opening of the hat's underside is clearly visible. The soldier's left arm hangs at his side; he holds a rifle in his right hand. Behind and to the right of the center soldier is a partially unfurled American flag. Hafner has depicted a French, Notre Dame-like Cathedral in the background; rising behind the cathedral are pillars of smoke wrought by war. A small bronze plaque is located beneath this mural; its inscription reads "Gift of George H. Morrill". Mr. Morrill was the president of the Norwood-based Morrill Ink Manufacturing Co., one of the world's leading producers of ink during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. On the ground floor of the stair hall, a handicapped access ramp leads into the Memorial Hall's foyer.
The walls of the main stair hall exhibit multi-panel oak woodwork. The plaster ornament of the stair hall's cornices depict an unusual juxtaposition of rosettes and rope moldings with symbols of war: crossed revolvers, swords and even hand grenades with cartridge belts. Lighting fixtures in the main stair hall surviving from the late 1920s include a wrought iron chandelier and an elegant lantern of the same material which hangs above the staircase. The second floor stair hall is rendered identically to that of the main stair hall's first floor in terms of floor, wall and ceiling treatments. This area contains a framed watercolor rendering for a segment of the main stair hall containing the Hafner murals rendered by William G. Upham, this building's architect.
Interior Features: Town Hall Wing In general, the offices of the Town Hall wing are located on the north and south sides of the first and second floors, bordering center halls. These passageways are characterized by terrazzo floors, base boards of marble and wood, chair rails, multi- pane door transoms, plaster walls and wooden picture moldings. The remaining office rooms of the Town Hall wing retain their original configuration although many of these spaces have been subdivided by removable partitions and/or have had original ceiling heights lowered by the installation of acoustic tile ceilings.
The Selectmens' Chamber, located at the northeast corner of the Town Hall wing's second floor is noteworthy for its solid oak doors, full-length, multi-paneled oak walls, ornate cornice with floral and vine detail rendered in low plater relief as well as a rich, densely ornamented ceiling featuring raised and interlocking geometric panels. Still intact are the original solid oak doors and the ceiling's bronze lighting fixtures. (continued) NPS Form 10-900-2 (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet 7 10 Section number Page OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Norwood Memorial Municipal Building Norwood (Norfolk County) Massachusetts Alterations Over time, the Norwood Municipal Building has sustained relatively minor alterations.
During the 1980s, closet space between the Memorial Hall and main stair hall was transformed into an elevator shaft. The elevator, together with a ramp between the Memorial Hall foyer and main stair hall were installed to comply with handicapped access codes. The elevator head house on the roof is almost completely invisible except (just barely) from the rear parking lot on the north side of the building. As previously noted, the large Gothic Revival window of the chapel-like Memorial Hall's north elevation had its opaque glass replaced by colored stained glass in recent years. The loft behind the Memorial Hall's second floor balcony railing, originally intended for additional seating, was rarely utilized for that purpose. During the 1990s, the loft was enclosed to create an office.
The new plaster wall and narrow, oak enframed window complements rather than calls attention to this change and in fact looks like it could have been part of the original design. The basement's old Police Station or detention room was adapted for the purposes of town office space in 1964. It was noted in a Norwood Messenger article dated July 10, 1928 that "the detention room is not to be used as a prison and unruly breakers of the law or anyone who must be held for sometime will be placed in the lock-up". Additionally, in recent years, a store room in the basement has been transformed into the Walter Ryan Meeting Room. Alterations such as acoustic tile "drop" ceilings and office partitions are easily reversible.
During the 1960s, a modern H-VAC system was installed throughout the wing of the Norwood Municipal Building; great care was taken not to deface any ornamental plastered ceilings. Other resources The Norwood Municipal Building's lot encompasses a rectangular, c. late 19th century stucco covered structure located at the northeast corner of the property. Situated close to Central Street, this small, rectangular, one and one half story "lock-up" stands with its narrow, two-bay main facade facing the street, while its 7-bay side walls and one bay rear wall overlooks asphalt paved parking areas. The main facade's window and front door are surmounted by raised, stucco covered, segmental arch lintels with tabs and wooden sills. Sheltered by the roof's clipped gable is a narrow, double attic window.
Like the main facade's first floor window, the south facade's two standard size windows exhibit raised segmental arches whose tabs create a drip molding effect. The stucco covering of the walls has been used to cover the moldings. To the left of these windows are three small square windows set high on the walls and covered with vertical iron bars which provide a clue as to this structure's original purpose as a jail. The western end wall exhibits the type of smooth stucco wall surface common (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (6-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number Page 11 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Norwood Memorial Municipal Building Norwood (Norfolk County) Massachusetts throughout along with "shadows" of a no longer extant center door and attic window, built between c. 1875 to 1888.
The north wall features four small square windows set high on the wall and, like those of the south wall, exhibit wood sills and iron bars. Near the northwest corner of this facade is a tall window, which like the smaller windows, is covered with bars. The structure is enclosed by an asphalt shingle-covered clipped gable with Italianate saw-cut wooden brackets. The interior of the "lock up" has been completely gutted, its interior currently used by the Town as a garage and storage facility. Norwood's "lock-up" is evidently a unique structure within the town and possibly within Norfolk County. Indeed, few examples of this building type survive in Massachusetts. Situated at the Nahatan and -Washington Street corner of the property is a gun and mount manufactured by the Krupp Works in Germany.
This gun and mount constitute the significant object associated with the Norwood Memorial Municipal Building property; it is said to have been captured by American troops in France during World War I. The municipal building's most famous possession is the 50 bell carillon, a gift to the town by prominent local businessman Walter F. Tilton. One of the first carillon's in the United States, Tilton's bells continue to be played for the enjoyment of the town's people. (see more detailed description of the carillon in the significance section). Archaeological Description No prehistoric sites are currently recorded on the nominated property or in the general area (within one mile). Locational characteristics of the parcel, particularly its excessive distance from wetlands (over 1,000 feet) are not favorable for most prehistoric site locations.
Given the above information, the small size of the parcel (0.82 acres) and impacts from construction of the Municipal Building, garage (former lock-up or jail) and parking areas, the potential for recovering significant prehistoric archaeological resources is low. The potential for recovering significant historic archaeological resources is also low. While the nominated property was part of an area of nondescript wooden commercial and utilitarian buildings called the Hook, no specific historic properties can be identified for this parcel prior to the late 19th century use of the present garage as a jail or lock-up. Construction of this building, the Municipal Building in 1927-28 and parking areas would have also impacted any earlier historic resources, if they existed. Sheet refuse patterns may also exist, however, this resource type would be of limited research potential.
(end) Norwood Memorial Municipal Building Name of Property 8. Statement of Significance