TOWN HALL

 

TOWN HALL

Passing by this building on Northern Boulevard

You might be wowed by the architecture

Flushing Town Hall  was constructed

In 1862 in a Romanesque Revival style 

Which was popular during the Civil War

With arched windows and spires 

It is a work of art

The history of the building is also impressive

Recruits for the Civil War signed up here

The Great Emancipator Frederick Douglass

Presented a speech in 1865

The showman P.T. Barnum along with

General Tom Thumb displayed

Their theatrical  wonder in the auditorium

 This was a place designed for the community

To have fun

To learn 

To engage in civic duty

One Hundred Fifty Nine years later

Flushing Town Hall still stands 

Still playing an important

Part in the cultural life of the community

Very few buildings(if any) are built  in such a way today

Built to last

Built to serve the interests of the people

Why aren't there Town Halls

Like this in every neighborhood?

Imagine the impact  such a place would have?

Instead we shoddily put up more stores

More office buildings

More places for people to sleep and eat

And almost no enduring places 

For us to think