Old Town Hall - Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Posted by: 
elyob
N 42° 26.900 W 073° 15.183
18T E 643659 N 4701034
The Old Town Hall is in downtown Pittsfield, on East Street at South Street.
Waymark Code: WM10CGE
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 04/13/2019
Views: 2
From 1832 until 1968, this building served as the town hall or city hall for Pittsfield. In April 1972, the Old Town Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places Collection. In July 1975, the building also became a contributing property in the Park Square Historic District.
The following text is taken from the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System. This building served as the seat of Pittsfield government for one hundred and thirty five years, from 1832-91 as Town Hall, and from 1891-1968 as City Hall. In 1968 municipal offices moved to the former Post Office building, and the Old Town Hall was completely restored, the balustrade, chimneys, and window sashes being reconstructed or replaced. (The balustrade and chimneys have since been removed.)
The Old Town Hall is the oldest municipal building extant in Pittsfield, and the only remaining late Federal public building. During its long years of use as seat of local government, it also served for periods of time as a post office, a bank, a
site of religious services, and as county courthouse for a few months prior to the opening of the Berkshire County Courthouse in 1871. When the Berkshire Agricultural Society, which instituted the first agricultural fair in the country, held its annual events in Park Square, the Old Town Hall served as an exhibit hall. Soldiers were recruited for the Civil War in
the building.