SKETCHING CLUB:
LITTLETON TOWN HALL
SATURDAY APRIL 19, 2025
9:30 AM GATHER
10:00 AM SKETCHING
*Please bring your own sktching materials*
Gather: BORN 2 BAKE CREATIVE BAKERY
2540 Main St, Littleton CO 80120
SKETCHING: LITTLETON TOWN HALL
2450 Main St, Littleton, CO 80120
Join us to celebrate the birthday of legendary Architect Jules Jacques Benois Benedict (born April 22, 1879) by sketching and admiring the richly detailed, beautifully proportioned façade of the Littleton Town Hall.
Completed in 1920, this architectural gem was built to serve as a hub for local government and public gatherings. Over time, it gained recognition as “the finest town hall for a small American town.”
For this commission, Benedict is said to have drawn inspiration from the Palazzo della Ragione in Vicenza, Italy. The influence is evident in the triple-arched arcade—though with a unique Gothic twist. Clad in local terracotta and adorned with details reflecting Colorado’s native flora and fauna, the building offers visual delights at every turn. Even the lanterns, designed by Benedict himself, stand sentinel on the front façade, adding to its charm and timeless character.
Jacques Benedict designed the Littleton Town Hall in 1919. Benedict called this design Northern Italian Gothic, and is characterized by the three large Gothic-arched entryways leading to an inset porch. The building was also designed to be the city firehouse, with a set of double doors wide enough to drive a firetruck through the interior bay. While the back and side walls are brick, the front façade is gray terra-cotta from the Denver Terra Cotta Company. The town hall had five rooms on the first floor: a bay for Littleton’s fire truck, hose room, city council chamber, treasurer’s office, and an auditorium for public meetings. The town ran out of money before the hall was finished so Benedict himself paid to have the iron casted and installed for the exterior sconces and balusters. Sources: Littleton by Mike Butler, the Littleton Museum, Library of Congress