Scipio Town Hall

Scipio's town hall is a small monument to the New Deal. Built in 1935, it was one of more than 230 public buildings — schools, courthouses, armories, libraries — that federal Depression programs put up across Utah. Two local men, Will and Lew Critchley, laid its brick and stone, and it rose in the pared-down, blocky manner known as PWA Moderne. It was meant from the start to hold the town's civic and political life under one roof, and after a 1980s restoration it still does, on Scipio's main street.

What the plaque says

Built in 1935, the Scipio Town Hall is one of over 230 public works buildings constructed in Utah under various New Deal programs during the Depression years of the 1930's and 40's. The types of buildings constructed included schools, county courthouses, libraries, National Guard Armories and a variety of others. The Scipio Town Hall was intended for use both as a town hall and as a meeting place for all civic and political functions in the community. Two Scipio men Will and Lew Critchley were the brick and stone masons on the building. Several years after construction, probably in the late 1940's, the brick vestibule on the front was added. This building is a good example of the stylized classicism associated with the PWA Moderne architectural style in Utah. The building was renovated in 1986 with funds raised principally by the Round Valley Camp of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers to be used as a museum for the D.U.P. and as a Senior Citizens Center.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Scipio — steps away
  A tiny crossroads town where I-15 meets the old highway
• Gunnison — 17 mi
  Sanpete's southern hub, home to Utah's oldest operating theater
• Sterling — 22 mi
  A highway hamlet and the doorway to Palisade State Park
• Mayfield — 23 mi
  Gateway to Twelve Mile Canyon and the Skyline Drive high country

More markers nearby

• Settlement of Scipio — steps away
• Dover Cemetery — 11 mi
• Gunnison Honor Roll — 16 mi
• Gunnison Valley Veterans Memorial — 16 mi