Chariton City Hall & Fire Department - Chariton, Iowa - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The building is in good repair and is still used for City Hall and the Fire Department.

Date of Construction: 1913

The Chariton City Hall and Fire Station (1931) was designed by Chariton architect and city engineer, William L. Perkins. Chariton is the Lucas County seat. Lucas County is the second county north of the Missouri line, the sixth county west of the Mississippi River, and the sixth county east of the Missouri River. The City Hall is located one-half block south of the southwest corner of the Chariton Public Square on the west side of S. Main St. It is a free-standing structure with a well kept lawn along the front (east) and north sides.

This two-story brick building is rectangular in shape, the original block measuring 60 feet by 80 feet, with a 1979 addition on the south measuring 51 feet 6 inches by 108 feet. A single chimney is located on the north wall, and a flat roof slopes gently to the rear. It is of fire-proof construction with brick curtain walls. The east elevation (the narrow end of the rectangle) of the original 1931 design contains the asymmetrical facade with a projecting pavilion surrounding the main entrance. The brick is highly textured and variegated in color, ranging from red to tan to charcoal. It is laid in running bond. To the right (north) of the entrance there are two windows on each floor, and originally to the left (south) of the entrance there were four windows on the second floor and large folding garage doors on the main floor. This was necessary as the fire trucks and equipment were housed in the south part of the building. When the large wing was added on the south in 1979 to house the fire department, the original garage doors were replaced by four windows, located directly below those on the second floor. At that time most of the original windows (all on the facade) were replaced with similar divided lights. Care was taken in the selection of the brick and trim to coordinate with the original materials. The facade of the 1979 addition has three large garage doors and a single entry door at the south end. The building rests on a concrete slab with a foundation of brick and concrete.

The massing of the facade has a strong Art Deco feeling, but the detailing is all Neoclassical. The double entry doors (modern metal-clad replaced the originals prior to 1962) feature a transom and are flanked by simple stone pilasters the height of the doorway, with simple monumental pilasters with Corinthian capitals to the outside. Above the entry doors is a stone panel containing a Neo-classical swag or festoon with a vertical oval medallion containing the number "1931," the year of construction. A bas-relief flower filled urn/vase is centered above the date.

A large multi-light window is located on the second floor above the entrance, and a broad stone panel at the top engraved with the words "City Hall" completes the design. A flat stone pediment caps the pavilion. One ornamental detail that is no longer extant was described in a 1932 newspaper article as follows: "a pier lantern of statuary bronze surmounts the building. Panes of circular glass enclose six 100 watt bulbs and when the lantern is lighted a yellow glow is shed over the building." (Chariton Herald-Patriot, 23 Feb 1932, p 3)

A rectangular stone panel is found above each pair of windows on the second floor of the facade. These panels are carved with a medallion in the center and a swag or festoon on each side. Each of the medallions contains a different design: the scales of justice to represent a courtroom; a lyre with horns to represent the music events to take place upstairs; and, crossed hose nozzles representing the fire department. The area between first and second floor windows also contains a rectangular panel above each pair, but in this case the panels are defined by brick patterning and small stone blocks at each corner.

The side elevation on the north has an irregular fenestration pattern. There are four second floor windows in the front portion. On the first floor there is a new window located about 18 feet west of the corner that has been placed in a square opening requiring a wood panel above, then two replacement windows with top wood panels, and then two broad metal casement windows near the rear, or west end. The brick chimney rises up through this north wall. The rear (west) elevation contains three symmetrically arranged second floor windows the north one being a smaller replacement window that requires wood panels on each side. On the first floor there is a double door on the north, with a broad metal casement window in the center and a single door at the south end. The 16 foot square hose tower connects the original building and the 1979 addition. The west wall of the addition has two large garage doors and a single entry door. The south wall of the addition is a blank brick wall.

The 1979 addition on the south side was designed by Garden & Associates of Oskaloosa to house the fire equipment with the original 1931 building remodeled on the entire to house expanded city services. This 1979 addition was sympathetically designed, to co-exist with the original portion, with both the brick and stone used being carefully selected. Although the addition is almost as large as the main block, it is not visually intrusive.

- National Register Application

Street address: 115 S Main Chariton, IA USA 50049 County / Borough / Parish: Lucas Year listed: 2006 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Event Periods of significance: 1950-1974, 1925-1949 Historic function: Government Current function: Government Privately owned?: no Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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