A theater complex in Laconia and a town hall in Rye have been named to the National Register of Historic Places.
The Colonial Theatre complex, built in 1914, is being honored for its architecture and its role as a center of entertainment and commerce.
The complex’s most prominent feature is the theater’s 1930s marquee, which is topped by a two-story blade-style sign that spells out “Colonial.”
The theater’s entrance and lobby still have a pair of twelve-light mahogany-stained birch doors with brass hardware, Vermont marble wainscoting, terrazzo floors and ticket booths with arched windows. The theater space still has its original layout.
Changes included converting the theater space into a five-screen multiplex in the 1980s and alterations to the layout of the office and residential spaces.
The Rye Town Hall was originally a 1½-story church built by the Methodist Society in 1839 It was turned into a town hall and bought by the town in 1873.
The building’s Greek Revival architectural details include its broad gable front with a recessed panel door, and corner pilasters reminiscent of columns. It has a a double-arched window in the attic.
The building still has a pair of wide elliptical stairways that still have their original walnut handrails, round newel posts and turned balusters.
A large elevated stage was added to the second floor circa 1875.
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