Meeting House Looks To Past And Future

By Jeff White

The wreaths that hung along the inside of the 207-year-old Newtown Meeting House looked down over more than 100 residents who sat in the newly painted pews during Sunday's Heritage Gala and re-dedication ceremony.

The purpose of the gathering was to honor the building by remembering its past and looking toward its future.

Outside, the Second Company Governor's Horse Guard, in full colonial dress, formed an Honor Guard as the last of the attendees filed into the building. Inside, James Osborne, the vice president of the Heritage Preservation Trust of Newtown, reflected on how close the Meeting House was to demolition when the trust took on the fight to save the building in 1988. It was Mr Osborne who found an expert willing to examine the Meeting House for structural flaws for $750; the town had been getting offers in the neighborhood of $60,000. The inspector went over the Meeting House from basement to steeple and gave it essentially a clean bill of health.

The nonprofit Heritage Preservation Trust funded a $250,000 renovation that was completed in 1991, saving the building from destruction, and saving the town's taxpayers the responsibility of shouldering the financial burden.

Last Sunday's Heritage Gala came on the heels of another privately funded renovation carried out by the trust. This time, the cost was $110,000, for new paint, plush new carpeting, a new furnace and a refurbished chimney.

The dedication of both the Heritage Preservation Trust and various town citizens who have supported the Meeting House over the years was as much on display as the building itself. Mr Osborne presented a small plaque to Trust President Donald Studley to commemorate his tireless efforts on behalf of the Meeting House. State Representative Julia Wasserman delivered a proclamation from the state Legislature thanking those involved with the building for their work. The proclamation will hang inside the Meeting House.

Joining it will be a plaque Donald Studley presented to the Rev Steven Gordon of the Newtown Congregational Church, in appreciation for the Congregational Church's deeding of the building to the Trust in 1988.

For First Selectman Herb Rosenthal, the Meeting House has personal significance. His wife, Michele, was baptized in it, and her parents were married under its roof. Commenting on the importance of keeping such a historical building in town, Mr Rosenthal alluded to the trust's recent 10-year renewal of their 50-year lease. He said this week that not only does he hope the trust will carry out the full term of its lease but will try for another fifty years when the present lease expires.

The wreaths were not the only holiday sentiments Sunday afternoon, as the audience was treated to traditional seasonal music from harpist Edith Johnson and an array of carols from the Newtown Choral Society Ensemble.

Although much of the afternoon was about taking a look at how far the Meeting House had come, the Heritage Preservation Foundation is already planning its next refurbishment: renovating the building's pipe organ. Although a restoration company will not be available for the project until February of 2001, the Trust will need that time to raise the $60,000 required for the project.

The Meeting House still carries out its function as a house of worship every Sunday for members of the Community Presbyterian Church. It is still a favorite venue for weddings and can be rented out by any civic organization.

"It has been such a focal point for both the spiritual life and the civic life of this community," Mr Rosenthal said. "I [commend] the members of the Heritage Preservation Trust for their hard work and dedication. It has certainly been a place that has played an important part in the history of Newtown."