{"nrhp_refnum":"81000619","name":"Walpole Town Hall","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Walpole","county":"Norfolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.14586692900008,"lon":-71.25296265299994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1981-10-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Victorian-style brick town hall on Main Street at the corner of Stone Street in Walpole, Massachusetts, constructed in 1880-81 and dedicated September 25, 1881, to designs by architect J. Williams Beal.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is a fine example of late nineteenth century municipal architecture with integrity of location, design, materials and setting. It has been the seat of town government since construction and is the work of a regionally prominent architect, meeting criteria A and C.","narrative":"Walpole Town Hall is a brick civic building on a slight rise at Main and Stone Streets, just east of the town's original common. Built in 1880-81 and dedicated in September 1881, it was Walpole's first municipal structure, reflecting civic pride generated by the town's paper and textile-support factories. The cruciform building rises from a granite base to slate-tiled hip roofs, with paired windows, brownstone trim and patterned brickwork. A centered tower, reaching about 70 feet above ground, carries clock faces, an open wooden belfry and a flared steeple roof. Boston-area architect J. Williams Beal designed it, and J.W. Coburn of Walpole built it for a total cost of $29,322.65. Besides town government, it housed the District Court for Western Norfolk County until 1949 and the police station and lock-up in the basement until 1952. The site was earlier occupied by the Clapp Tavern, from about 1732. The building was listed for its government role and its late Victorian design.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899, 1900-","architect_builder":"J. Williams Beal, Architect; J.W. Coburn, Builder","architectural_style":"Composite Victorian, with eclectic Romanesque and classical motifs","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Listed as in excellent, unaltered condition and occupied as government use; plans call for moving town offices to a nearby school and returning the Police Department to the building.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:53.358077-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/78/7963/63796378/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/81000619.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/81000619/a8ebf94e3a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/81000619/a8ebf94e3a-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Kenneth C. Zirkel","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Walpole_Massachusetts_Town_Hall.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Kenneth C. Zirkel</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Walpole_Massachusetts_Town_Hall.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63796378","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walpole_Town_Hall","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7963735"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/norfolk-county/walpole-town-hall-81000619/"}