History of Kellogg Hall
The population of the town of Granby increased rapidly in the 1800s and by the 1880s both the town and the high school had outgrown their spaces. The matter was discussed in several town-meetings, but no definitive action was taken until Chester Kellogg offered $3000 toward the project if the town would raise the balance of funds. Then the wrangle came over a site. To settle the debate, Mr. Kellogg bought the Fay lot, and conditioned his $3000 gift on the acceptance of that location. The building plans proved too costly for the appropriation, and Mr. Kellogg again came to the rescue, adding $1000 to his gift.
The town hired Holyoke architect George B. P. Alderman to design the new municipal structure and Belchertown contractor H. D. Hoag to build it.
As designed, the building’s first floor had a hall that ran to the high school room (25 by 35 feet designed for 45 students) on the south side and a 15.5-by-17-foot library room with a “round bay-window” on the north side. There was also a town clerk’s office with a records room, and a set of stairs at the rear of the building that led to a school yard. The second floor was one large hall, 38.5 by 40.5 feet “in the clear” for town meetings and “entertainments".
The building was estimated to cost $7000, but apparently cost about $6700, with the town paying $2700 of that cost. The Springfield newspaper predicted that Kellogg Hall would be “the handsomest edifice in the village.”
Chester Kellogg
