You’ve undoubtedly read the news that Plymouth’s aging Memorial Hall needs expensive emergency repairs just to deal with its latest water problems. A debate is underway on whether to spend a lot more money to renovate it or raze it.
As both a “townie” who has enjoyed many memorable events in the building and an architect who values Plymouth’s rich history I would hate to see it go. But it is time, in my view, to stop kicking the can down the road and create a performance center that honors the past while delivering an up-to-date space for music and events that Plymouth residents can be truly proud of.
Memorial Hall has played an important role in many of my family’s life events. I attended my high school graduation there, as did my parents and my daughter. In addition, both my mother and maternal grandfather played concerts in the Hall as members of the Plymouth Philharmonic. I tortured my parents in the building with endless high school band concerts and my daughter returned the favor with Brownie and Girl Scout events.
Over the years, Plymouth residents have witnessed Bob Dylan’s historic Rolling Thunder Revue (October 1975) along with a variety of other powerhouse musical performers. Veterans have taken part in memorial ceremonies in the building, Yoga enthusiasts have attended class in the blue room; and past high school athletes won an all-important basketball championship on the venerable oak floors of the main hall. Plymouth residents have also celebrated wedding nuptials and receptions in the Blue Room. For years, our Town Meeting members argued and battled over budgets and town policies in the auditorium.
Newcomers, too, continue to benefit from having a local performance center, with many attending shows by Spectacle Management that otherwise would have taken place much further away in the Greater Boston area. There have been a number of craft fairs and it has been the site for the popular Cage Titans fights.
The question currently on the table is what to do with the building’s crumbling infrastructure. In truth, Memorial Hall isn’t even that old by Plymouth standards. Just under 100 years old, it was opened to the public in 1926, though the history of the site can be traced back to Mayflower times.
As early as 1924, a committee was established to begin the process of constructing a memorial building to veterans of the Great War as well as the Spanish American War and the Mexican-American War. In addition to a memorial for veterans, it was designed to create space for a town hall and civic auditorium.
The lot’s official history dates to 1623, when it was granted to Mayflower passenger Francis Eaton. The land passed through several owners until it was purchased in 1809 by William Hammett, who built one of Plymouth’s high style Federal mansions that eventually became known as the beloved Hedge House.
Hammett’s home originally faced Court Street and the lot extended to the water’s edge. Hammett lost the house due to financial reasons, and it was soon purchased by the Hedge family. The home remained in the family until 1919 when Lydia Lothrop, a family member who lived there, died. The town bought the property for $20,000 as a site for a war memorial and a new Town Hall, intending it as a replacement for the aging 1749 Court House in Town Square.
The decision to replace the Lothrop-Hedge House was controversial and with the newly formed Plymouth Antiquarian Society opposing its destruction, the old house was relocated, restored and spun 180 degrees to face Water Street on the adjacent lot just to the south.
The architectural firm of Russell and Little was engaged to prepare plans. After several iterations, the brick colonial revival structure we see today was approved. The building is a textbook example of Colonial Revival, featuring brick cladding, symmetrical colonial window placement, and – my favorite feature – a prominent cupola. Other versions of the Russell and Little proposals featured white limestone and granite. Our town fathers made the right choice. But now, facing a long list of repairs (not even 25 years after a major retrofit), what’s to become of our local landmark?
A few weeks ago, I ran into Town Manager Derek Brindisi at Town Hall. Not being shy, I asked Derek if he wanted my opinion as an architect on the current situation. I told him what I would do if I had a chance to redesign Memorial Hall.
Memorial Hall is essentially two buildings.
The building facing Court Street is the “Memorial Hall,” which includes the Hall of Flags, the Veterans Room, a museum and a function room on the second floor known as the Blue Room. (If you haven’t been upstairs, in fact the room is not blue.)
A hyphen-like structure connects Memorial Hall to the auditorium in the rear. The hyphen contains staircases and an elevator; it provides a unique opportunity to separate the building, saving and restoring the front section, while removing and replacing the auditorium with a brand new performance space.
The auditorium is not worth saving. I recently attended a concert there. The seating, although new with padded seats, is horrible. The knee space to the row in front of you is less than what’s provided on a budget airline. For this 6-foot-tall guy, after 15 minutes I was miserable. Moreover, the sight lines, depending on your seat, require you to turn your neck 90 degrees or focus your attention above or below a railing. Honestly, we deserve better.
Yes, it would be expensive but it would be a far better use of our resources than the endless drip-drip-drip of cash simply to repair the inadequate old building. And if a funding mechanism could be found that wouldn’t significantly increase our taxes (one can dream!) I would add to my wish list a parking garage that has long been planned for the rear lot and purchasing the adjacent property to create an outdoor performance venue.
Finances are one hurdle facing this project, the other is the location itself. As with the ongoing Water Street sewer pipe repair, the site is geologically challenging. It is bedeviled by a high-water table and unstable clay-like soil that is a contributing factor in the building’s current problems. Clay along the Plymouth waterfront can be several feet thick. It is an unstable material to build on and requires removal or the drilling of piles to reach suitable building soils. If that weren’t enough, once the clay is removed or punctured, water from tidal actions add to construction complexity. Bottom line, it’s going to be very expensive.
Like so many Plymouth residents – and as someone heading to retirement in the not-too-distant future – I would not welcome any extra tax burden. But paying the ongoing tax bill that simply puts a Band-Aid on the problem is no solution, either.
Memorial Hall generates a significant amount of second tier revenue for Plymouth, helping generate extra restaurant, bar, retail and hotel sales. If you’ve tried eating out or finding parking downtown on the night of an event, you know what I’m speaking about.
In fact, this is a good problem to have – and a first-class center would undoubtedly generate even more business in downtown Plymouth. Perhaps there is a way to tap some of that extra commercial revenue to help fund a bond to pay for the big dream. I’ll leave that to the folks who are paid to figure that stuff out.
In the meantime, I invite your thoughts on the best solutions for Memorial Hall, while I’m adding to the doodles of my grandiose plans for the space. Asking Santa wouldn’t hurt, either.
Architect Bill Fornaciari is a lifelong resident of Plymouth (except for a three-year adventure out West as a young man) and is the owner of BF Architects in Plymouth. His firm specializes in residential work and historic preservation. Have a question or idea for this column? Email Bill at billfornaciari@gmail.com.