1835 Town Hall Committee
Brief Overview and Purpose
One hundred and eighty years after its dedication, the purpose and meaning of the Town Hall is still clear. It represented the forward thinking citizens of Sterling in the early 19th century. People whose names we are all familiar with; Kendall, Rugg, Conant, Burpee, Tuttle, Pratt, Sawyer and others. Today, it represents the historical and cultural landmark standing at the center of our town and a focal point of the Sterling Center Historic District registered with the United States Department of the Interior and the Massachusetts Historic Commission.
It is the view of the 1835 Town Hall Committee and was the view of the Selectmen and Towns-people that voted to establish and empower the Committee that our Town Hall is a testament to our history and heritage and should continue to be a useful and vibrant beacon overlooking our town common and center of our community.
In order to properly discuss the Town Hall and the Committee charged with its care, it is important to fully understand the history of the Town Hall, its usage over the past half century and the effectiveness of the volunteers that support the 1835 Town Hall Committee.
Our Town Hall was built in 1835 on the site of the first Town House in Worcester County separating Church from State. The land presented by Ebenezer Pope to the Town of Sterling (Book 168, Page 66) was deeded for the sole purpose of Town use. It was dedicated in November of 1835 with great pomp and circumstance. The dedicatory address was given by the esteemed Edwin Conant, Esq. Singers from Boston and New York came to Sterling to provide the musical entertainment for the gala celebration. For one-hundred and fifty years, it stood as a central meeting place for community and civic events.
Through the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s, the Town Hall was used for town offices, selectmen’s office and meeting rooms. It has gone through periods of extensive modifications over the years to suit those purposes. The addition of dropped ceilings, partitions and fluorescent lighting; the replacement of bathrooms and stairway; and an improved heating system were all required. In 1997, the Butterick School (replaced by the Houghton – Chocksett School) was repurposed and became the Town Municipal building. As such, the Town offices relocated from the Town Hall to the Butterick Municipal Building leaving the old Town Hall without a tenant and for a moment, without a purpose.
The condition of the old Town Hall was disheveled, carpeting was missing, windows broken, paint was chipping, ceiling tiles missing and trash abounding. The Town had to do something to save the old Town Hall. Recognizing the urgency of the problem, the Selectmen commissioned the Old Town Hall Committee to find a solution. The Sterling Historical Commission along with the newly formed committee conducted a study to determine the buildings long-term use. In 2001, the 1835 Town Hall Committee was formed by the Town to plan and coordinate maintenance and facilitate the use of the building.
A huge undertaking ensued. Twenty six truckloads of rubbish were removed through the help of the Nick Staudaher Eagle Scout Project, temporary walls were taken down from both the first and second floors, open meeting space was created on both levels, floors were repaired and carpeted, broken windows and window panes were repaired, roof repairs were done, unwanted articles were removed and auctioned, the building was furnished by recycling items from the school and library renovations, walls were patched and painted, and tile and wooden floors were cleaned and waxed. This work was done with a small annual maintenance budget, a lot of elbow grease by committee members, community volunteers and frequent requests to the Scouts. After a significant amount of work, the space was finally ready for use by any group or member of the community that needed it.
In 2005 the town, aided by a grant from the state, commissioned an “Architectural/Structural Assessment and Feasibility Study for Universal Accessibility of the Sterling 1835 Town Hall”. The study found that the building was structurally sound, needed some immediate maintenance and provided a plan for accessibility. The immediate maintenance included roof repairs, furnace and chimney repairs, painting of the exterior, replacing storm windows, repairs to the exterior plaster on the portico, and re-glazing of the window panes. One of the reasons for the study was to determine the best way to provide universal accessibility to the second floor. The study suggested an addition to the side of the building to house an elevator.
Over the last few years, the building has provided a temporary home for a number of public services: EMS 2002-2003, Library 2003-2004, Fire Department 2004-2005 and the DPW 2007-2008 while their facilities were being renovated. It is currently home to the town recreation department, as well as the Veterans Office. Community and nonprofit functions are held here and it is often rented for private functions. It is used regularly by scouting groups, 4-H, town committees, guitar lessons, a children’s music program and hosts various community clubs. Periodic events such as the Candidates Forum, cultural events, and informational presentations are also held here.
In 2012, a detailed rehabilitation, preservation and restoration plan was prepared which protected the original significance of the structure and complies with the preservation restriction placed on the old Town Hall by the Massachusetts Historical Commission in 2005. It also included the addition of an elevator to provide universal access, kitchen to support meetings, dinners, and social events, new compliant bathrooms, installation of a much needed sprinkler system, removal of 2nd floor dropped ceiling returning the cathedral space to the great hall and much more. This plan was presented to the Board of Selectmen by the Committee in a presentation July 2013. The Board of Selectman decided to table the proposal lacking a plan and associated cost to tie in the Town Hall septage into the Fire Station septic as was originally planned.
The 1835 Town Hall Committee has not forsaken this plan and continues to work to maintain and preserve the space for use by the community and it continues to research funding sources for repairs, accessibility renovations, restorations and opening up the great hall ceiling and gallery. It is researching grant opportunities along with creating a non-profit entity to promote and secure donations. We have created a web site (www.sterling1835townhall.org) to support these efforts and provide information about the Town Hall, its history and usability.
The mission of the 1835 Town Hall Committee remains the same;
It shall be the duty of the Committee to make recommendations for the refurbishment, restoration, and maintenance of the 1835 Town Hall, and to oversee the use of the 1835 Town Hall as a Community Center for public open meeting-space and limited municipal offices. In that effort, the Committee seeks out and nominates responsible, talented and dedicated individuals that share a common purpose, preservation of the Town Hall in its original splendor.
Respectfully,
1835 Town Hall Committee