{"nrhp_refnum":"85000983","name":"Memorial Hall","other_names":["Library"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"School St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Milford","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.14456755300006,"lon":-71.51910532099998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-05-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Memorial Hall is a three-story, hipped-roof pink granite building on School Street in the center of Milford, Worcester County, Massachusetts. It was built in 1884 to a design by local architect Fred Swasey and is owned by the Town of Milford.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that the hall is a fine example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture and one of Milford's finest late-19th-century buildings. It was designed by a local architect and built of locally quarried pink granite, and it retains its integrity. It also serves as a monument to the town's Civil War veterans and has long been the headquarters of veterans' organizations.","narrative":"Memorial Hall is a three-story granite building on School Street in central Milford, Massachusetts, built in 1884 as a monument to the town's Civil War veterans. Local architect Fred Swasey designed it in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, using rough-faced pink granite quarried nearby, with red Longmeadow sandstone trim. Its features include a gabled entrance porch beneath a wide sandstone arch, a half-round tower with a conical slate roof, and carved plaques honoring Grant and Farragut. Inside, marble tablets list the names of Milford's Civil War and Spanish American War veterans, and a polished granite stair has the names of Civil War battles carved into its risers. The choice of granite reflected the many soldiers and veterans who had worked in Milford's quarries. The site was once the town's first burying ground. The hall has been home to veterans' groups since its construction and now also holds a library and historical museum. It is considered Milford's most imposing high-style Richardsonian Romanesque building.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Fred Swasey","architectural_style":"Richardsonian Romanesque","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Occupied and in use as a veterans' organization headquarters, library and historical museum; the town is studying its use as a cultural center.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.92218-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/39/7971/63797139/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/85000983.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000983/ab8898892d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000983/ab8898892d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MilfordMA_MemorialHall.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Magicpiano</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:MilfordMA_MemorialHall.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63797139","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Hall_(Milford,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6815428"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/memorial-hall-85000983/"}