LENOX — U.S. Rep. Richard Neal joined state Rep. and interim Town Manager Smitty Pignatelli to announce a $750,000 earmark for the Lenox Town Hall restoration project.

The allocation was made possible through congressionally directed spending from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Neal included funding for this project in the FY 2023 spending bill that was signed into law on Dec. 29, 2022.

“A town hall holds a prominent place in a community’s downtown, representing the cornerstone for public discourse and the nexus for local governance. In a community like Lenox, whose history predates the Revolutionary War, the Town Hall represents an institution with which generations of residents identify,” Neal said. “I was pleased to partner with state Representative Smitty Pignatelli to further the Town Hall restoration project. This funding will help preserve and maintain this historic building, ensuring it can continue to serve the residents of Lenox for years to come.”

Built in 1901, the historic Lenox Town Hall stands in a prominent position in downtown Lenox. A signature building of the Downtown Historic District, the Town Hall is on the State Register of Historic Places.

The project will restore and repair a number of interior and exterior features throughout the building, including repairing and restoring the deteriorating dome; reshingling the roof and exterior painting; addressing extensive water damage in the rotunda; installing more modern, energy-efficient lighting fixtures; replacing the flooring and sound system in the auditorium; and improving the handicap-accessible ramp.