The Ames Schoolhouse is a historic school building at 450 Washington Street in Dedham, Massachusetts . It was originally part of the Dedham Public Schools . It currently serves as the town hall and senior center for the Town of Dedham.
12-406: The Colonial Revival structure was built in 1897. It was named in honor of American Revolution -era politician Fisher Ames . It is a large H-shaped building, with a central section flanked by symmetrical projecting bays on either side. It has a hip roof with a deep dentillated eave, and pilastered corners. The main entrance is set under broad arch at the center, with a Palladian window above. Above
24-649: A consultant, Harris participated in the design and construction of more than 100 halls, including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts , Minnesota Orchestra Hall , Lincoln Center Metropolitan Opera House , Abravanel Hall , Benaroya Hall and Conrad Prebys Concert Hall in University of California, San Diego . Harris was a Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America . He served on
36-546: Is not one single combination of elements that defines the style. However, some commonly found characteristics of Colonial Revival buildings include: Cyril M. Harris 's American Architecture: An Illustrated Book noted that "Colonial Revival houses are usually the result of a rather free interpretation of their prototypes; they tend to be larger, may differ significantly from the houses they seek to emulate, and often exaggerate architectural details." Cyril M. Harris Cyril Manton Harris (June 20, 1917 – January 4, 2011)
48-761: The COVID-19 pandemic , and so the Town Clerk's office remained at the old town hall until the end of June. The senior center portion of the building includes an outdoor patio, arts and crafts room, fitness center, media room, lounge, and more. This article about a National Register of Historic Places listing in Norfolk County , Massachusetts is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Colonial Revival architecture The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture . The beginnings of
60-650: The Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876 , which reawakened Americans to the architectural traditions of their colonial past. Fairly small numbers of Colonial Revival homes were built c. 1880 –1910, a period when Queen Anne-style architecture was dominant in the United States. From 1910–1930, the Colonial Revival movement was ascendant, with about 40% of U.S. homes built in
72-517: The Colonial Revival style. In the immediate post-war period ( c. 1950s –early 1960s), Colonial Revival homes continued to be constructed, but in simplified form. In the present-day, many New Traditional homes draw from Colonial Revival styles. Although associated with the architectural movement, "Colonial Revival" also refers to historic preservation , landscape architecture and garden design, and decorative arts movements that emulate or draw inspiration from colonial forms. While
84-696: The Executive Council (1954–1957), was vice president (1960–1961) and president (1964–1965) of the society, and was an associate editor of the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (1959–1971). He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences , National Academy of Engineering , American Philosophical Society and several other professional societies and advisory boards. Harris served as president (1993) and chairman of
96-490: The dominant influences in Colonial Revival style are Georgian and Federal architecture , Colonial Revival homes also draw, to a lesser extent, from the Dutch Colonial style and post-medieval English styles. Colonial Revival homes are often eclectic in style, combining aspects from several of these previous styles. Since Colonial Revival architecture pulls structural and decorative elements from other styles, there
108-483: The front door is the following inscription: 1644 AMES SCHOOL 1897 Named in honor of Fisher Ames. A native of Dedham, a wise statesman. And a friend of Washington. "With a united government well administered, we have nothing to fear and without it nothing to hope." The building was dedicated in June 1898. On the first floor, in addition to the master's room and teachers' room, were eight classrooms. Each classroom
120-821: Was Professor Emeritus of Architecture and Charles Batchelor Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering at Columbia University . He received his B.S. in mathematics and his M.S. in physics from UCLA , and his Ph.D. in physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he specialized in acoustics . He co-authored with Vern Oliver Knudsen the book Acoustical Designing in Architecture , and edited several others, including Handbook of Noise Control , Shock and Vibration Handbook , Illustrated Dictionary of Historic Architecture , Dictionary of Architecture and Construction and American Architecture: An Illustrated Encyclopedia . These books are recognized as authoritative references in their field. As
132-556: Was 28' by 36' and was designed for 56 students. At the southern end of the second floor were four classrooms, the library, and a chemical lab. The northern end housed the main hall with a stage and two dressing rooms. In 1937, it was painted and renovated by the Works Progress Administration . The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 and sold in the same year. It
SECTION 10
#1732786994061144-538: Was an office building for the next three decades. At the 2014 Spring Annual Town Meeting, the Town of Dedham voted to repurchase the building for $ 5.85 million and renovate it to be used as a Town Hall and Senior Center. The project was long overdue and over budget. On June 19 and 20, 2020, most departments moved from the old town hall into the Ames Schoolhouse. The annual town election was delayed in 2020 due to
#60939