West Salem in Wayne County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
West Salem City Hall
Photographed By Tom Bosse, August 6, 2017
1. West Salem City Hall Marker
Inscription.
West Salem City Hall. . The West Salem City Hall reflects a late-1800s municipal trend to house many civic functions under one roof. The fire station, jail, and council chambers occupied the ground level, while the second floor hosted a public auditorium, or "opera house". Designed by native son William K. Shilling, later an internationally prominent architect, the Romanesque-style building was completed in 1899 at a cost of $9,077 and soon became the center of civic life in West Salem. Band concerts, vaudeville shows, town meetings, and graduation ceremonies were conducted in the opera house during its heyday before World War II. During the Cold War it was designated as a Civil Defense emergency field hospital. It remains a focal point of the West Salem community.
The West Salem City Hall reflects a late-1800s municipal trend to house many civic functions under one roof. The fire station, jail, and council chambers occupied the ground level, while the second floor hosted a public auditorium, or "opera house". Designed by native son William K. Shilling, later an internationally prominent architect, the Romanesque-style building was completed in 1899 at a cost of $9,077 and soon became the center of civic life in West Salem. Band concerts, vaudeville shows, town meetings, and graduation ceremonies were conducted in the opera house during its heyday before World War II. During the Cold War it was designated as a Civil Defense emergency field hospital. It remains a focal point of the West Salem community.
Erected 2001 by The Ohio Bicentennial Commission, The Longaberger Company, The West Salem Historical Society, The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 1-85.)
Location. 40° 58.303′ N, 82° 6.574′ W. Marker is in West Salem, Ohio, in Wayne County. Marker is on South
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Main Street (Ohio Route 301), on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: West Salem OH 44287, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 13, 2022. It was originally submitted on October 24, 2017, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 395 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on October 24, 2017, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
