Dorchester Illustration no. 2444 Town Hall
The painting of Dorchester’s town hall is a painting from 1913 on a brick in the Edward A. Huebener Collection at the Dorchester Historical Society. The photograph was probably take just after the turn of the 20th century. The painter, J.B.S., apparently was trying to evoke the time when the building was first constructed, because he left out the poles and trolley wires.
Edward A. Huebener, a Board member of the Dorchester Historical Society, was a collector of materials relating to Dorchester history including a very large collection of graphic materials, comprised of prints and photographs, now owned by the Society. Huebener collected bricks obtained from Dorchester buildings, then hired a local illustrator to paint a picture of the building upon the brick, thereby creating a visual record upon an actual piece of the house. The collection includes over 100 bricks.
Dorchester’s Town Hall was built in 1816 on Washington Street at the southwest corner of what is now Codman Square (Washington and Norfolk Streets).
Codman Square, known at that time as Baker’s Corner, was selected for the town hall because it was (and is ) in the geographic center of the town at the only intersection of two main east west / north south cross roads – Norfolk & Centre Streets from east to west and Washington Street from north to south. Washington Street connected the entire town to the Neponset River mills and Norfolk-Centre Streets also linked the two toll roads – Blue Hill and Dorchester turnpikes.
Second church had been built in 1806 at this intersection, and Walter Baker owned a general store at the northwest corner of the square.
The Codman Square branch of the Boston Public Library replaced the Town Hall building in 1904. It is in Colonial Revival style with cupola and Chinese Chippendale roof balustrade. Now owned by the city but administered by the Codman Square Health Center, it is known as the Great Hall.