Littleton Town Hall

City of Littleton Historic Landmark

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 18, 2021

1. Littleton Town Hall Marker

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From the National Register Nomination prepared by Robert J. McQuarie, 2/27/1980:
The Littleton Town Hall is a two and one-half story, rectangular-shaped structure with a fifty-foot frontage located between two late 19th century buildings. The structure was designed by J. J. B. Benedict as a multi-purpose town hall in 1920. The main or north facade is constructed of architectural terra cotta. The facade is identifiably of the Italianate order due to use of small-scale ornamentation, shadow-forming

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 18, 2021

2. Littleton Town Hall Marker

The marker is mounted at eye level on the right side of the center doorway of the north/front facade of the Town Hall Arts Center (formerly Littleton Town Hall).

molding, cast iron, roof tiles, and an arched window design. The pointed lancet arches originally formed an arcade on the ground floor.
Major revisions to the building occurred on several different occasions. While most of the modifications were on the interior to provide for office space, the two pointed lancet arches at the entrance were enclosed. The arches originally formed an arcade on the ground floor. The west arch framed the entrance to the fire house where the town's only hook and ladder truck was kept. At the second level, ogee type arches form the entablature and are stilted with columns. The two lateral windows are enclosed by balcony grilles and a double-bracketed cornice crowns the facade. The original floor plan consisted of five major rooms (fire truck room, hose room, restroom, treasurer's office and council chambers) on the first floor and an auditorium spanning the full area of the building on the second floor.
The Littleton Town Hall is one of Littleton’s most significant buildings. The building has been associated with the community as the headquarters for the town government and community gatherings since its construction

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 18, 2021

3. Town Hall Arts Center (formerly Littleton Town Hall)

in 1920 and it is the most significant of three Littleton structures designed by Jules Jacques Benoit Benedict, a major Colorado architect and Littleton resident. Benedict designed the Town Hall when Littleton's population was 1,600 people. The design satisfied the expressed need for a building with a large assembly hall, offices for town officials and firefighting equipment, and the desire to have some expression of the town's development during the sixty-year period preceding the construction of the Town Hall.
Upon completion, the building was described as the finest architectural example of a town hall for a small community in the country. Mr. Benedict's work shows the influence of the Renaissance works of Puzin and Palladio and the building's design was inspired by the Palazzo della Ragione in Vicenze, Italy, Although the building was inspired by northern Italian examples, it has characteristic local expression in detail and materials. In 1972 the Town Hall was one of the first buildings designated on the city's new historic preservation ordinance. The Town Hall continued in use until 1977 when the City of Littleton occupied a new

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office building.

Excerpt:  Town Hall Arts Center, formerly the Littleton Town Hall, is located in downtown Littleton, Colorado and has been a local professional theatre, producing comedies, musicals and plays to the Denver metropolitan area for over 30 years. The building was designated a National Register of Historic Places on September 4, 1980.
Littleton Town Hall (1920–1977) Designed by Colorado architect Jacques Benedict and built in 1920 as a new center for civic activities, the Italianate building contained the treasurer's office, council chambers, fire truck and hose rooms, and a large second-floor auditorium. A new office building was occupied by the City of Littleton in 1977. Through fundraising and other efforts, it opened as a performing arts center and art gallery in 1983.
Town Hall Arts Center (since 1983) Town Hall Arts Center is now a live theater, cultural center, and art gallery, offering six main stage musicals or comedies and seven to eight concerts during the September through June production season. The theater program for children produces two shows annually with professional actors. Classes are held throughout the year for students aged seven to seventeen in stage craft, acting, and creative dramatics.

Excerpt:  Denver architect Jules J.B. Benedict designed this 1920 building to provide space for an assembly hall, town offices, and the fire department. Benedict’s work was inspired by the Palazzo della Ragione in Vicenza, Italy. Local expression in detail and materials includes the state flower, the columbine, sculpted into the incised ornamentation on the second story. The property is associated with The Architecture of Jules Jacques Benois Benedict in Colorado Multiple Property Submission.

Excerpt:  Commonly known as Jacques Benedict, he was born in Chicago in 1879, and he studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts. He came to Denver in 1909 and became renowned for his many prominent works including homes, churches, academic and public buildings, spanning a range of architectural styles and with a particular gift for melding with natural landscapes. He was one of the most prominent architects in Colorado history, whose works include a number of well-known landmarks and buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places.