Stevens Memorial Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Stevens Memorial Hall
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 Location in New Hampshire
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1 Chester St., Chester, New Hampshire |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1908 |
| Architect | George G. Adams |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| NRHP reference No. | 04000963 |
| Added to NRHP | September 10, 2004 |
Stevens Memorial Hall is a very old and important building in Chester, New Hampshire. It used to be the main place where the town's business happened, like a town hall. This large building was finished in 1910. You can find it right in the middle of Chester, where New Hampshire Routes 121 and 102 meet.
In 2004, Stevens Memorial Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's a special building that's important to history. It served as the town's center until the year 2000. After that, the town offices moved to a building that used to be a school.
What Stevens Memorial Hall Looks Like
Stevens Memorial Hall stands out in Chester. It's a big, two-story building made of wood. Its style is mostly Colonial Revival, which means it looks like older American buildings. It also has some touches of the Queen Anne style.
The building has a sloped roof called a hip roof. On one corner, there's a square tower with a bell, topped with a special bell-shaped roof. The front of the building has three main parts. The windows are placed in a unique way, not perfectly even. The main entrance is in the middle, covered by a porch. This porch has thin, round columns standing on square bases.
Inside the Hall
Inside, the ground floor of Stevens Memorial Hall used to hold the town offices. This is where people would go for town business. The basement level was once just an empty space. Later, in the 1970s, it was changed to become a police station.
Upstairs, there's a big room called an auditorium. This space was used for many important town meetings and fun community events. It has a stage for performances, a dressing room, and a balcony where people could sit.
History of the Building
A talented architect named George G. Adams from Lawrence, Massachusetts designed Stevens Memorial Hall. It took three years to build this special hall. It was officially opened in 1910.
For many years, until 2000, this building was the only one built specifically to be Chester's town hall. Now, the town's offices are in a former elementary school. From 1930 to 1981, the Chester Free Library was also located inside Stevens Memorial Hall. Besides town meetings, the auditorium was a busy place. It hosted meetings for local groups, plays, and other community gatherings.
