Town Hall History

Town Hall

Charcoal drawing by D. DeLaRoche 2008 donated to the Town.  The drawing is displayed in the Town Hall vestibule.

The first Town Hall was built on the site of the present building and served the community for over 50 years.  It was a two-story stick-built structure with a cupola on the top.  It was torn down to make room for the new building.  The bell from the original building is on display at the Carriage House Museum.

First Town Hall

1894 - The Town Council voted on July 25, 1894, to bond $10,000 from the state to build a new town hall.  Five bids were received.  The bid of Thomas Smith was accepted for $7,920. 

Additional land was purchased that included eight sheds between the town hall and Boehm Bros. Carriage Factory for $770 and a five-foot strip on the north side from C.F. Kendall for $100.  Around September 1st, Herbert Giles begam excavating and laying the foundation for the 42x82 building.  The work above the foundation was supervised by J.W. Roberts, the interior by Theron Phelps.  W.H. Dorrance & Son covered the roof with tin.  The painting of both interior and exterior was supervised by Charles Van Winkle.  The Architect was L.P. Smith.

Town Hall 1894

1895 - The interior was completed.  The building housed meeting rooms, the library, the fire department, court rooms and a large upstairs room for community gatherings.

1896 - A new 750-pound bell was installed replacing the bell from the first Town Hall.  The old one weighed 340 pounds.  It is now on display at the Queen Village Historical Society.

1900 - Two jail cells were installed in the basement of the Town Hall.  It was musty and froze in the winter limiting use.

1901 - A new 1150-pound bell was installed in the Town Hall.  The previous one was too light to sound for fire alarm purposes.

1908 - The Town Clock was moved from the train depot to be installed in the Town Hall.  The clock was purchased from the E. Howard Clock Company of Boston.  Local school children had raised $207 for its purchase.  The one-ton bell first sounded on March 5, 1908.

1920s - An additional door was added to the Second Street side of the building to make it easier access to the library.

Town Hall 1920

1925 - The original design of the roof was simplified as the dormers leaked from the beginning.  The tin roof had been covered with slate, yet the leaks persisted, so all the ornamentation was removed.

1927 - Jail cells were installed on the first floor of the Town Hall, moved up from the cellar by Frank S. Jones.  It was used until 1966 when the accused were taken to the County Jail.

1938 - The library was moved to its new building and the room it had used became a meeting room.

1949 - The Fire Department moved to its new home next to the Town Hall, allowing for additional space for meeting rooms and voting.

1965 - The home north of the Town Hall owned by Frank A. Sanborn was purchased for a parking lot for the town hall.

1970 - The Town Board contracted with Glenn Hurd for the sale of the steeple including the cupola and spire from the old Methodist Church for $800 plus labor.  It was transferred to the top of the Town Hall clock tower.

1986 - Gordon Moore becomes the caretaker of the Town Clock, he replaced Charles VanRy who had cared for the clock for many years.

2002 - The Town Hall meeting room received new metal ceilings and light fixtures, new cabinets to cover one wall, made by Ken Suits and Don James, wainscoting on the remaining three sides and new porches and pillars.

2003 - The steeple of the clock tower was lowered to the ground and repaired by KTR Contracting.

Steeple Removed Steeple Lowered

2009 - The Rotary Club organized fund raising to repair the town clock and $27,050 was raised by the generous contributions from the community and leadership of the Rotary, including a $1000 grant from Rotary International.

2010 - A town clerk's office was added to the Town Hall, previously the town clerk worked from their businesses.  The court rooms were also renovated.  A handicapped bathroom was added where the jail had been located.

2011 - Work on the town clock was completed by Robert Rodgers of Harrisburg, PA.  The restoration included new aluminum hands, new frosted acrylic in place of glass, cleaning and repainting of the frames, and restoration of the four clock dials.

2019 - The additional door added in the 1920s was removed and the Town Hall was returned to its original design.  Replacing the entrance with windows and the outside brick work was completed by RJ Hulbert from Lowville, NY.  Those working on the interior restoration include Tyler Henry, Steve Quenneville and Mark Keniston.