Memorial Hall - Fort Scott Downtown Historic District - Fort Scott, Kansas - Non-Specific Veteran Memorials on Waymarking.com

- Marker Text

1925
Classical Revival style.
Status: contributing.

This is a two-story Classical Revival-style brick building with a flat roof and parapet set on a raised stone foundation. Basically, the structure is rectangular, but the main entrance and the hall are rotated to face the intersection of Third and National. The main southeast facade is semicircular with a monumental Neo-Classical facade. It has semicircular smooth-cut stone steps rising to three recessed entrances with paired glazed metal entrance doors surmounted by transoms. Between the entrances, there are two large carved stone plaques. The semicircular entrance cornice is supported on eight Ionic stone columns. Above the cornice, there is a brick panel with a central ornamental carved stone panel and carved end blocks set in a stepped parapet ornamented with carved blocks and a stone parapet cap. Beside the entrance, there are raised brick bays with an entrance to the main block in the southern facade and an entrance to the basement in the western facade. These bays have stone ornamentation and stone parapets. The entrances also have ornamental stone surrounds. Above the windows, there is a smoothcut stone belt course. There are six window openings to the west in the stone foundation and a recessed rear entrance with a molded stone surround. These have 2/2 lights. There are 15-light windows flanking the rear entrance. Window openings in the foundation to the south have 2/2 lights. On the first and second floors, there are two window bays in the west and south facades. These are framed with stone pilaster moldings, smooth-cut stone sills and lintels. The larger first floor windows have fifteen lights and the upper windows have nine.

The Western Insurance Company sold the tract of land for this community building to the city for a modest price of $10,000. On April 7, 1921, the Fort Scott Tribune reported the Chamber of Commerce's interest in seeing a new community hall erected. Convention Hall, an early meeting hall, _was still standing, but was demolished in 1922. The first bond issue for a community building was defeated, but eventually in November, 1922, a bond issue passed with a margin of 184 votes. Architect William T. Schmitt, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, designed the building.

The building was dedicated as a memorial to the memory of World War I veterans. For many years, the building was used for high school basketball games. The building has a theater that is occasionally used for music productions, but rarely for dramatic productions. Fort Scott city offices are located in this building. The building also houses meeting rooms for the G.A.R., D.A.R., Jaycees, and American Legion.

The building retains sufficient architectural integrity to be listed as a contributing resource.

- National Register Application

Type of Memorial: Non-Specific Memorial In Honor Of: All Past, Present, and Future Veterans Marker Text: See long Description. Date of dedication: Original - 1925, Rededication-2001 Who Put it Here?: City of Fort Scott Description of Memorial: See long description. This is an historic building near the Downtown Square Wars mentioned (Multi-war only): Not listed

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