{"nrhp_refnum":"73000297","name":"Gloucester City Hall","other_names":["Town Hall","City Hall"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Dale Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Gloucester","county":"Essex County","state":"MA","lat":42.61398119900008,"lon":-70.66255603999997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-05-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Gloucester City Hall is a brick municipal building on Dale Avenue in Gloucester, Essex County, Massachusetts, erected 1869-71 and dedicated June 2, 1871. It was designed by Gridley James Fox Bryant and Louis P. Rogers.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it one of the most important buildings on Cape Ann physically, historically and architecturally. It is a well-preserved example of a dominant 19th-century civic monument, combining Italian Renaissance and French Second Empire elements, and it is the work of the prolific architect Bryant. Its tower is also a focal point of the city skyline and was painted by major American artists.","narrative":"Gloucester City Hall is a red pressed-brick civic building on Dale Avenue, built in 1869-71 on one of the highest points in the city, overlooking the harbor. Gridley James Fox Bryant and Louis P. Rogers designed it, and it was dedicated on June 2, 1871, as the town's third seat of government. Its rectangular plan, corner pavilions and classical detail come from the French academic tradition, while bracketed cornices, quoins and arched windows reflect Italian Renaissance influence. A central clock tower rises in three tiers to a copper roof and is the highest man-made point in the city. Winslow Homer, Frank Duveneck and John Sloan painted views of the city centered on it. The original clock and bell were a gift from Samuel Sawyer. The grounds hold an 1879 Civil War monument, and murals by Charles Allen Winter from the late 1930s and early 1940s decorate the interior. The building remains well preserved and in use as city hall.","period_of_significance":"1869-71","architect_builder":"Gridley James Fox Bryant and Louis P. Rogers","architectural_style":"Combination of Italian Renaissance and French Second Empire","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as well preserved and in excellent condition, in use as the seat of city government. The ornamental iron ridge crestings have been lost, and the interior has had some modernization.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:53.451418-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/58/7949/63794958/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/73000297.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000297/805637aefb-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000297/805637aefb-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Adavyd","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gloucester_City_Hall_DSC_0280_AD.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Adavyd</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gloucester_City_Hall_DSC_0280_AD.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"82001881","name":"Central Gloucester Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/massachusetts/central-gloucester-historic-district-82001881/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794958","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloucester_City_Hall","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5572020"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/essex-county/gloucester-city-hall-73000297/"}