Category: Art Deco

Worcester Memorial Auditorium (1932)

by Dan//Art Deco, Neoclassical, Public Buildings, Theaters, Worcester

Built to honor the 9,000 citizens of Worcester who served in the First World War, the Worcester Memorial Auditorium was constructed in 1931-1932 and is located in Lincoln Square. The Classical Revival building was designed by Lucius W. Briggs of Worcester and Frederick C. Hirons of New York. The exterior features Art Deco-inspired bas-relief ornament. Inside are murals by Leon Kroll, installed in 1941. The interior has a large auditorium and a “Little Theatre” which share a single stage that can be opened up to join the rooms together. Recently used as an auxiliary courthouse, the Auditorium has been the subject of many renovation and redevelopment discussions over the years (see pdf), the city eventually plans to sell the building. Continue reading “Worcester Memorial Auditorium (1932)”

D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts (1934)

by Dan//Art Deco, Museums, Springfield

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Opened in 1934, the Michele & Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts is one of the museums on the Springfield Museum Quadrangle. The Art Deco style building was built in response to the bequest of Dr. & Mrs. James Philip Gray, who left their estate for the “selection, purchase, preservation, and exhibition of the most valuable, meritorious, artistic, and high class oil paintings obtainable,” the construction of a building to house them. The museum collections include art by American and European artists. The museum was recently named after Michele & Donald D’Amour. Donald D’Amour, who has donated a significant sum to the museum, is chairman and CEO of Big Y supermarkets.