Address: 231 North Main Street
Contemporary Building Name: Charles Hall Gallery, Marlborough Arts Center and Museum
Historic Building Name: Dance Hall, Hall’s Package Store
Present Use: Gallery / Arts Center
Historic Use: Package store, dance hall, recreational hall
Architectural style: Vernacular
Date constructed: 1920 (Assessor)
Description: There are two doors in the front gable end of the building, facing the street. The original doorway is centered. It has flush casing, boarded-up sidelights, and what appears to be the original door with square glazing over four horizontal panels. A second door adjoins to the north, indicating the interior was divided into two parts, as there are two boarded-up shop windows. An attic window is in the gable end. On the north side elevation, a shed-roofed porch runs the depth of the building. The porch roof is supported by posts which are small tree trunks, in a state of disrepair.
Significance: 231 Main Street is an example of a commercial building, one of the few in this survey. It is without architectural stylistic features, except for the rustic posts of the side porch, which probably are added. The Assessor's field card states that it is a former package store, while Baber (1978 Inventory) refers to earlier use as a dance, recreation hall, without further details.
Sources: Baber, David. Capitol Region Council of Governments Historic Resource Survey of Marlborough, 1978.
Ransom, David. Historical and Architectural Resources Survey, Town of Marlborough, Connecticut. April 1998.
Notes: In 1999, the Marlborough Arts Center and Museum purchased the property, and in 2004, moved the building back from the road, and began renovations. The assessor now gives the property a construction date of 2005.