From post office to City Hall

The City of Moscow Arts Department and Historic Preservation Commission will sponsor a three-part lecture series in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the building now serving as Moscow's City Hall.

The series will feature local professionals who will share their knowledge regarding the history and features of the building and its role in the community throughout the past 100 years.

Construction on the building currently serving as City Hall began in 1909 and was completed in 1911. The building, which formerly served as the Moscow Post Office and Courthouse, has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973. The lecture series is intended to stimulate local and regional interest in the craftsmanship and political-will that contributed to the construction, preservation, and reinvention of the building we enjoy today. The speakers will focus on events, trends, and struggles that have defined Moscow as a community, and continue to enrich residents' quality of life.

n On Tuesday, Linda Pall will present "From Old Post Office to City Hall: An exercise in civic rescue through politics and historic preservation." Pall is a local attorney specializing in employment law, civil rights, and family law. She is also former Moscow City Councilmember.

n On May 31, D. Nels Reese will provide a lecture titled "Building a National Image for the American Democracy: The history of the architecture of City Hall, its architect, James Knox Taylor, and relationship to historic Federal buildings across the nation." Reese is an Associate Professor Emeritus at University of Idaho, having taught architecture, urban planning, and design for more than 20 years. He is also a current and past member of several local and state boards and commissions related to planning and historic preservation.

n The last lecture in the series will take place June 7, and will feature Keith Petersen's presentation "Psychiana: The world's largest mail order religion and a small town post office." Petersen is the Idaho State Historian and Associate Director of the Idaho State Historical Society.

Also, during the opening of Artwalk on June 17, the Third Street Gallery in City Hall will feature an interpretive exhibit of photographs and architectural renderings titled "A Century of Exchange: Moscow's City Hall." The exhibit will include historic images of downtown Moscow, the people and events that have contributed to the city's character to present day.

The lecture series and interpretive gallery exhibit is being supported in part by a grant from the Idaho Humanities Council, a State-based Program of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

All lectures begin at 7 p.m..

If you go

n WHAT: Three lectures on the history of Moscow City Hall

n WHEN: 7 p.m. Tuesday; May 31 and June 7

n WHERE: Moscow City Hall Council Chambers, 206 E. Third St.

n COST: Free