Socialist Labor Party Hall

Infobox_nrhp | name =Socialist Labor Party Hall
nrhp_type =nhl


caption =
location= 46 Granite Street, Barre City, Vermont
lat_degrees = 44
lat_minutes = 11
lat_seconds = 54.31
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 72
long_minutes = 30
long_seconds = 26.74
long_direction = W
locmapin = Vermont
area =
built =1900
architect=
architecture= No Style Listed
designated= May 16, 2000cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=357569973&ResourceType=Building
title=Socialist Labor Party Hall |accessdate=2007-11-20|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service]
added = October 22, 1998cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]
governing_body = Local
refnum=98001267

The Socialist Labor Party Hall at 46 Granite Street, Barre, Vermont was constructed in 1900. It was the leading place were debates took place among anarchists, socialists, and union leaders over the future direction of the labor movement in United States in the early 20th century.

Located in the former Italian section of Barre, the Socialist Labor Party Hall is a two story flat-roofed brick structure with a gambrel-roofed single story rear hall. It is associated with Barre's rich ethnic heritage, specifically the vital Italian community that immigrated to Barre at the end of the 19th century.

The direct association of this property with the labor movement, community, and the immigration of Italians makes it one of Barre's most important buildings.

Architecture

Its design reflects no particular architectural style, but its form does illustrate the building's function as an assembly hall. The exterior is simply ornamented with Barre granite details. The most important of these is a carved medallion depicting an arm bearing a hammer, the symbol of the Socialist Labor Party, and the initials SLP.

History

The building was constructed in 1900 by volunteers of the Italian community as a meeting hall for the Socialist Labor Party, a political group dedicated to social and labor reform. The Hall provided the community with a place to meet, organize, and socialize. Dances, boxing and wrestling matches were held here. In 1901, the Co-Operative store was started in the basement to provide necessities for the community.

When the Hall opened in 1900, more than 90 percent of Barre's workers belonged to one of 15 local unions, many of them probably attended union meetings and political rallies held here. From 1900 to 1936 the building held the offices and meetings of the Granite Cutters International Association, at the time the largest local union of granite workers in the country. Labors leaders such as Eugene Debs and Samuel Gompers are known to have visited Barre and, although unconfirmed, likely spoke at the Hall.

During textile strikes taking place in Lawrence, Massachusetts, the Italian community in Barre sheltered 35 children of those striking workers, all of whom were received at the Hall. During one political gathering in 1903, illustrating the sometimes volatile nature of political groups at this time, an argument broke out between socialists and anarchists, ending in the essentially random but fatal shooting of Elia Corti, a prominent Italian stone carver responsible for the panels on the Robert Burns Memorial statue in Barre.

In 1936, the Hall was sold and converted to a warehouse for The Washington Fruit Company and later the Vermont Pak Tomato company.

The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2000.citation|title=PDFlink| [http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/98001267.pdf National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Socialist Labor Party Hall] |862 KB|date=, 19 |author= |publisher=National Park Service and PDFlink| [http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Photos/98001267.pdf "Accompanying 7 photos, exterior and interior, from 1995 and undated."] |1.68 MB]

In 1995 the Hall was purchased by the Barre Historical Society, with much support, to restore it as a library, community meeting hall, and social club. The Labor Hall was flooded due to rain on July 10-11, 2007. Four feet of water flooded the basement, damaging walls, equipment, and the archived documents stored in the basement.

References

External links

* [http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/centralvermont/cv26.htm Socialist Labor Party Hall] National Register Program
* [http://www.robinhazardray.com/CortiMurder.pdf Corti Murder]