An Exciting History
About Oakes Ames Memorial Hall
In 1879, the children of Congressman Oakes Ames commissioned the renowned American architect Henry Hobson Richardson to design a memorial hall in tribute to their father. Richardson, best known in Boston for the iconic Trinity Church, was the most influential architect of his time and a pioneer of the Richardsonian Romanesque style—marked by rounded arches, heavy masonry, and dramatic rooflines.
Oakes Ames Memorial Hall is one of five H.H. Richardson masterpieces located in North Easton, a town celebrated for its remarkably preserved 19th-century charm. The Hall’s striking silhouette rises atop a granite ledge, giving it a commanding presence over the historic village below. The location was carefully chosen by Frederick Law Olmsted, America’s foremost landscape architect, who collaborated with Richardson to site the building and design its sweeping exterior staircase.
Today, Oakes Ames Memorial Hall sits at the heart of the H.H. Richardson National Historic Landmark District, surrounded by other American Renaissance treasures crafted by artists and designers such as John La Farge, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Stanford White, and Louis Comfort Tiffany. The beauty of North Easton’s historic area—combined with these masterworks—offers a glimpse into a rich artistic legacy that has been remarkably preserved.
Recognized for its architectural excellence, Oakes Ames Memorial Hall was named one of the ten finest buildings in America by the Survey of American Architects in the late 19th century. Its enduring presence continues to inspire admiration for the vision, craftsmanship, and collaboration that shaped it.
Conveniently located near the towns of Canton, Easton, Foxborough, Mansfield, Sharon, West Bridgewater, and the greater Metro South and South Shore areas, Oakes Ames Memorial Hall remains a treasured landmark of historic New England.
