{"nrhp_refnum":"84002168","name":"Lothrop Memorial Building-G.A.R. Hall","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Washington and Governor Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Taunton","county":"Bristol County","state":"MA","lat":41.903804724000054,"lon":-71.10747049099996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-07-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Queen Anne-style rubblestone building at the corner of Washington and Governor Streets in Taunton, Massachusetts, built in 1888 as the First Presbyterian Church and later used as a G.A.R. hall.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it one of the city's most significant late 19th century civic buildings, reflecting both its religious and its military history. It is described as an outstanding example of Queen Anne architecture with a long tradition as a community gathering place, first as a church and then as a Civil War veterans' hall. It meets criteria A and C.","narrative":"Built in 1888 at the corner of Washington and Governor Streets in Taunton, this rubblestone building began as the First Presbyterian Church, on land bought from the politician Marcus Morton. Financial difficulties forced the congregation to dissolve, and in 1903 local philanthropist Cyrus Lothrop bought it and gave it to the Massachusetts Veterans of the G.A.R. For much of the 20th century it served as a soldiers' and sailors' memorial and hosted events commemorating the Civil War and other military occasions. Architecturally, it shows well-proportioned massing, fine stone construction and varied Queen Anne details, including a wood latticework screen, brackets and an ornamented balustrade. Its most notable feature is an engaged stair and bell tower lit by very narrow windows and topped by a frame balustrade. After standing abandoned for several years, it was rehabilitated as medical offices. It was listed for its architecture and its long role as a community gathering place.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Queen Anne","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Abandoned for several years, then rehabilitated for use as medical offices; the work was certified as meeting the Secretary of the Interior's standards (1983).","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.616719-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/55/7894/63789455/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/84002168.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002168/2783e945bb-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002168/2783e945bb-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Marcbela","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lothrop-GAR_Hall_Taunton.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Marcbela</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lothrop-GAR_Hall_Taunton.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63789455","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lothrop_Memorial_Building-G.A.R._Hall","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6684787"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/bristol-county/lothrop-memorial-building-g-a-r-hall-84002168/"}