Digital Division
302 Division St
Old City Hall
est. 1876
Twenty-one years after Northfield’s founding, a larger, more permanent City Hall and Fire Station became necessary, so the city constructed this building in 1876—now very cleverly labeled “City Hall” at the top. It had a large rooftop cupola with a historic fire bell (as seen in the photograph on the right), giving the building an ere of authority and importance. This cupola was removed in 1940 for safety reasons. At street level, there were arched doorways for the fire wagons, but as equipment grew larger, they were replaced with one large opening—now the sizable street-level window.
Fire truck in front of original City Hall and Fire Station
The City Hall and the Fire Station would remain in the historic downtown area for around a century, but with Northfield's continued expansion, both services began to outgrow the singular building. So, City Hall moved next door to 304 Division Street in 1919 after the first World War. The Fire Station remained at 302 Division until 1971, and City Hall remained at 304 Division until 1978 when the City of Northfield purchased the Washington School building from the District.
After the Fire Station was moved, the antique shop, Three Acres Antiques, filled the space. A series of musical instrument repair shops filled the rest of the space at the address of 302½ Division Street. Now, Games ‘N Geek occupies the building, utilizing the large front facing window and high ceilings of the original building.