Category: Fayville Village Hall

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Progress at Fayville

Well friends, things are starting to really shape up at Fayville, and we have actually begun the intricate process of moving ourselves out of the dilapidated Flagg School.

Here are some snaps:

One of the new handicap accessibled bathrooms, complete with period tiled floor. You may think it odd to lead off with a picture of a bathroom, but after almost two years of porta-potties, the first flush of success was indescribably grand!

Our brand new archives room, complete with a set of 25 filing cabinets free from the State’s surplus goods program! Thanks to Dr. Cynthia Koch and our state reps for directing us to this program! For the first time in our history we’ll have all our archives together in one climate controlled space!

The long gallery for changing exhibitions—just missing the trim!

The first-floor meeting room/small class space. This room is huge: 23′ x 15′, as is the new archives room next door.

The 1911 hardwood floor (“there is nothing historic left at Fayville Hall”) in the second-floor Assembly Room re-emerges from a century of wear and grime
Another view of the Assembly Room. The wrapped blue parcels are glass and brass-legged free-standing display cases donated by St. Marks. They will house special exhibits, and huge thank you to St. Marks for offering and then paying for delivery of these cases!
The downstairs classroom takes shape.

The restored grand staircase. Wow, again, “nothing historic left at Fayville says CPC.”
The restored front facade awaiting its new entrance steps, complete with duplicates of original 1911 shutters. Looking for donations here to add the rest of the shutters!
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Update and Annual Appeal

Dear Friends,

Last December, the Southborough Historical Society began the most ambitious restoration of a public landmark ever attempted in Southborough—turning the 1911 Fayville Village Hall into a new history and arts center. As anyone who has ever renovated an old structure knows, the process is long, arduous and hugely expensive, often with multiple unforeseen obstacles along the way. For us, these included discovering a spring in the basement (flowing at 50 gallons a minute!); rotted sills; termites; bowed walls; sagging roof and crumbling foundations. (We’ve included some photos of these delights to share with you.)

Yet, one by one, these problems have been overcome, and as 2023 closes, we’re now entering the final phases of the restoration.

When completed, Southborough will have a vibrant venue for art instruction, meetings, social gatherings, private functions, and of course, state-of-the-art archival storage and exhibit space for the Society’s growing historical collections. Fayville Village Hall will be a veritable Atheneum for our town, an enduring symbol of Southborough’s dedication to history and culture. (You can see the floor plans and renderings online at southboroughhistory.org/fayville)

Needless to say, we need your generous financial support now more than ever. There are a thousand things that remain to be done (and paid for), from basics, like fitting out the catering kitchen and art space, to complicated projects like installing our elevator, which will provide the hall with ADA access for the first time. Outdoors, parking, ramps and site work are yet to be achieved, as well as restoration of the historic columned front entrance and stair hall.

But they will come— with your help.

In conjunction with our partners the Southborough Arts Council and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, we’d also like to make a general call out to local residents interested in history or the arts. Perhaps you are a teacher of a particular craft or skill, wishing to offer a class? Or, perhaps an artist looking for a new exhibit space, or maybe you just want to learn more about future course offerings or lectures for you or your family? We are starting to think about our 2024-2025 programming, so email us at info@southborooughhistory.org, and we’ll make sure you are kept in the loop.

Our very best wishes for the holiday season from the SHS Board! And thank you!

Michael Weishan
Sally Watters
Dean Lamsa
Matthew Young

Click on the image below to donate safely and conveniently online.

 

 

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Society Receives 200K Grant for Fayville Hall Renovations

The Southborough Historical Society is honored and gratified to announce that it  has today received a 200K grant from MassDevelopment and it’s partners in the Capital Grants program, the Mass Cultural Council, Secretary of Economic Development Yvonne Hao and the Healey Driscoll, to further the renovations of Fayville Hall.

While these funds are not restricted to a specific portion of the project, it is the Society’s intention to use these monies to help pay for the ADA compliance portions of the building, including the new elevator, ramp and associated services.

Despite bizarre material shortages and extensive supply chain delays (6 months for the windows!) we anticipate finishing the exterior of the structure this September, with a soft opening early in the new year.

Forward, and thanks again to our friends at the Mass Cultural Council for believing in our new history and arts center!

 

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The Place to Be in 25!

We’re delighted to be able to share with you today a fantastic rendering of what our new large lecture and event space will look like:

The second floor gallery @Fayville. Click to enlarge.

In this visualization by the ever talented architectural artist Jeff Stikeman, we see the second floor gallery space set up for an arts and travel lecture on Italy. The participants have, of course, just finished a wonderful meal catered by a local restaurant , along with a flight of Italian wines to sample. (Hopefully everyone will be awake for the talk! )

This is just one of the many set ups the 1200 square foot space will be able to accommodate: small concerts, private events, art exhibitions and seminars are all possibilities on the docket.

Currently construction proceeds a pace, with a grand opening planned early in 2025.

Arrividerci!

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On the Last Day of 2022

The basement of Fayville Hall, and the newly dubbed Lake Weishan

Dear Friends,

As 2022 fades to gentle whisper, I thought it a good time to give you a quick update on the Society’s progress. In short, our membership numbers continue to rise, our long-term plans remain sound, and our commitment unflagging!

How’s that for good news?

And—as you probably know if you have passed by the Fayville Village Hall lately—we have begun initial work to shore up the structure, and correct pressing water “issues” in the basement of our future home. It’s hard to believe from the photo above that this will shortly be our new classroom space, but it’s true. Once this urgent work has been accomplished, and after a return visit to the Planning Board to present some simplified site plans, we should be able to begin construction in earnest. We are still hoping for a phased opening in the fall of 2023, but that of course is to a large extent in the hands of the weather and supply chain gods!

There is no doubt that work on an historic building like this demands a real leap of faith. It requires trust in the craftsmanship of the past, as well as a real  vision of, and a fiduciary investment in, our shared future.  Since I came on board at the the Society after the disastrous 2015 flood, I have been reminded again and again of the commitment that you, our members—and of our fellow townsfolk in general—have shown to preserving our past and moving our joint endeavors forward.  You have indeed been asked to leap, and you have. As the clock slips towards midnight and 2023 beckons, I want to thank you all again for your faithful and continuing support.

From myself and the entire SHS Board, good health and godspeed in 2023.

Michael Weishan,
President, SHS

 

 

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Southborough Historical Society to Acquire Historic Fayville Village Hall

https://southboroughhistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018.024.001-Fayville-Village-Hall-1.jpg
Fayville Village Hall  sometime in the 20’s. Note the iron fountain out front, which the Society hopes to replicate.

The Southborough Historical Society, Inc. is pleased to announce that it has reached a tentative agreement to acquire the former Fayville Village Hall for its new home.

The potential purchase was made possible through a combination of fundraising, sale of targeted assets, and the generosity of the current owner, Mr. Jon Delli Priscoli.

The exterior of the 1914 building will be restored to its previous Classical Revival glory. Inside, current plans include mixed gallery/commercial-event/concert space on the first floor, with offices and archival storage on the second. A fully finished basement will provide additional artifact storage, as well a small catering kitchen to service events. And, once renovations are complete, the Society will place a preservation restriction on the property—which currently has no demolition protection—to make sure this remarkable edifice remains standing for future generations to enjoy.

“This will be the beginning of a whole new era for us,” explained Michael Weishan, SHS President. “The town-owned Flagg School building has always been an awkward fit for the Society, and we have long since outgrown its capacities. Further, an architectural assessment report we commissioned  in 2021 revealed that the Flagg building is in need of a quarter-million dollars in urgent repairs. Rather than put money into a building we don’t own, we began looking at other options last year, and Jon was kind enough to work with us to make this happen.

“The Fayville Village Hall, which is three times the size of our current building, will allow us to create an entirely new local and regional history teaching center for adults as well as our school children, and equally importantly, will provide income-generating opportunities that will guarantee the financial viability of the Society into future decades.

“We are also hugely pleased to demonstrate our dedication to preserving historic buildings outside of the Main Street Corridor, in acknowledgement that our town of Southborough was, and is, comprised of four distinct villages, all equally in need of preservation attention.”

If all goes to plan, work will begin this fall, with an expected grand opening  in early 2023.