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Vol. 6 No. I Spring 2007

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Whitman Town Hall1907

AanoN H. GoulD, ARCHTTEcT ( l BO5- I gBO)

Dedicated on December L0, 1902 Whibnan Town Hall is currently celebrating itscentennial year. Its construction took a little over ayear, and upon completion of thework, the Town Hali Building Committee report showed that the project exceeded theappropriated budget by just 0.3%. In today's currency, the cost to build the town hallwould be approximately $2000,000.

The architect of this remarkable building project was Aaron H. Gould (1865-1930). Bomin Nova Scotia, Gould immigrated to the U.S. as a young man of 19. He first settled inMaine, where he did architectural work in the Ellsworth and Bar Harbor area. Gould

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The Dyer Discourse is o publicotion of the Dyer Memoriol Librory. All rights reserved. @ 2007

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When Liz Pretorius and her colleagues atthe \Atrhitman Historical Commission cameto the Dyer last year to start researchingtheir town hall history in preparation forits centennial, it was surprising to all of usthat there wasn't much informationanywhere about the buildingls architect.Out of curiosity, we began looking fot arryinformation on this mystery architect. Aswe cast our nets wider and wider, a

picture b"g* to emerge of an incrediblyindustrious fiuln who followed thebuilding boom across the country.

So here's a toast to Aaron H. Gould'sWhitman Town HalI - we wish you allthe best on your 100tr anniversary, andmay you serve your community for manymore centuries.

- Joice Himawan

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AARoN H. Goulo, ARcnrrEct.(continued)

married Carrie F. Teague of Tremont,Maine in 1888, and their daughter, Annawas bom the following year. Soon after-wards, the family moved to the South,drawn to the building boom to develop a"New South" amidst the industrializationand urbanization thatwas sweeping thenation. They lived there for five years,during whidr time son Aaron H. Gould,jr. was bom in l&gztnAlabama.However, business probably declined as

the effort to industrialize *re Southdiminished, so they retnrned to NewEngland in 1895. Gould and his familysettled in Somerville, Massachusetts,where his youngest child, son Nathaniel,was bom ttratyear.

Goulds Boston firm was in business fromL895 to 1910, specializirg io municipalprojects. Besides 1 /hitman Town HaIL anumber of his buildings in the GreaterBoston area are still in use. Among themare Central Middle School in Qnincy(originally built as the first high school),North Cambridge Catholic High School(originally built as the Ellis School, aCambridge public elementary school), theCambridge Fire Departnrent's PorterSquare Fire House, a Malden fire stationwhich is now a private residence, and theMartin W. Carr School in Somerville(currently in use as a residential buitding)which was included in the NationalRegister of Historic Places ir.1984.Unfortunately, many other buildingsdesigned by Gould have beendemolished.

Following his time in the Boston area,Gould spent six years in Portland,Oregon" where he worked on a number ofcommercial projects including theErickson Hotel the National Ice Co. icestorage warehouse, the Portland Seed Co.warehouse, and the Rose City ImportingCo. building. The Erickson Hotel wasnotable for its association with EricksonlsSaloon" a well-known workingman'ssaloon famous for its 684foot long bar,nickel beers, and free meals.

After leaving the west coast, Gould settledin Detroit Michigan, with his wife, Carrie,and youngest sorl Nathaniel, who becamea civil engineer and joined his fathey'sbusiness. The firm of Aaron Gould & Soncontinued to emphasize municipalprojects in its ventures. The buildingsthat Gould worked on in Michiganinclude the Wayne County women'sprison, the Wayne County Morgue and

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Masonic Exercises at Laying of CornerstoneWhitrnan Town Hall, September 29,1906

(A. A. Haslcell, photographcr)

pv{RoN H. Goulo, ARctttTECT (continued)

Medical Examiner's Office, and a fire station at the Wayne County Training School.

Aaron H. Gould died on May 8, 1930 in Detroit. During his prolific career, he wasresponsible for a considerable assortment of municipal and commercial buildings acrossthe nation. One of his enduring legacies is Whiknan's Town Hall, a venerable buildingof which the town can be justifiably proud.

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The stnffof the Dyer Memoial Lfurnry wouldlile to thank the followingpeople for generouslyshaing their futowledge and contibuting signifcant information for this article: KristennaChase af the Someraille Histoic Presentation Commission, Robert McCorW of the NorthCambidge C"atholicHigh Schaol, Nicholas Starin of tlu City of PortlandBureau of Planning,Charles Sulliaan of the Cambridge Histoical Commission, and Deputy Wlliam Sulliaan of theMalden Fire D ep artment.

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Phnrmacies of Olil Abington - An exhibition featuring artifacts and memorabilia fromthe drug stores in Old Abington. On display tluough L June 2Cf/T.

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