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By Katrina Margolis
Hometown Weekly Reporter
The residents of Walpole take their history very seriously – as they should. It’s a wonderful history, filled with many different periods, nuances, and important moments. Two buildings that are a large part of this intricate history are currently being discussed in regards to their futures. At the most recent meeting of the Walpole Historical Commission, the new uses for the Old Town Hall and the L.F. Fales Machine Company were heavily discussed.
The future of the Fales Machine Company has been debated for many months now. The company was founded in 1930. It produced castings for machines manufactured by the Fales Machine Shop, as well as a number of New England manufacturers of oil burners, electric motor housings, valves, and other car parts.
Before this meeting, a survey was done of the building, which found that it was not structurally sound. Despite a desire to possibly restore the building, due to the findings of this survey, it simply is not possible to do so.
Instead, Tim Higgins will be creating a living community there. Projects such as these have been undertaken by Higgins and his company, Edgewood, in the past in places such as Quincy and North Attleboro. In those cases, and in the case of the Fales Company, pieces that can be maintained from the original will be utilized to honor and remember what was once there. The Commission voted to bypass a delay in building, since there were no other parties interested in the building for the purpose of restoration. Higgins will meet again with the Commission to discuss how original pieces will be used going forward.
The second building discussed was the Old Town Hall. As of yet, there has been no official decision regarding the future of this building. During this meeting, Michael Amaral, the former Chairman of the Commission, came to speak regarding his strong belief that the building should be maintained by the city and repurposed. His many reasons include the history of the old Library, which was sold privately, thereby benefitting simply one family and not the town, as well as a fear that plaques within the building memorializing veterans would be improperly removed or taken down.
While the future of the Old Town Hall is still quite uncertain – a committee is meeting to discuss it, and will be attended by one of the members of the Commission – a motion was passed stating the Commission’s belief that the building should remain in the hands of the city and be repurposed with integrity in mind for the building’s original plans.
Despite some uncertainty about the future of these two buildings, the future of Walpole’s history is in good hands.
