News

City Hall restoration needs a new boost


Published: August 20, 2008

To the editor:

This is an open letter to the citizens and friends of Gloucester,

We write today for one important reason. We need money in order to complete the restoration of Gloucester City Hall Tower.

For more than 135 years, City Hall has beautified the Gloucester skyline, enhanced the fabric of the City, added to the vibrancy of downtown, been the seat of government and served as an important meeting venue. Today, it needs your help to insure its ongoing viability.

Being a large building, it costs a lot to maintain and, as with many other of our municipal buildings unfortunately, maintenance has been deferred. So, understandably, the City Hall has fallen into disrepair. Since the City Hall Restoration Commission (Commission) was established in 2004, the building has been evacuated once (cracked trusses in the main building) and closed once due to high winds.

In 2006, the City Council, responding to the obvious emergency, approved a loan order of $1.3 million for repairs on the tower and ventilators. With this money, the Commission initiated the repair process and to date the tower has been strengthened and straightened. Work is proceeding well to restore the exterior of the top two levels of the tower: the cupola and clock levels.

Unfortunately, due to the extent of deterioration the loan order is insufficient to restore the belfry and lantern levels. The amount necessary to complete the restoration of the tower, including the restoration of the historic bell, is $651,800. This was the estimate given in March 2008 by the architectural firm working on the current tower project.

The mayor and the City Council are sympathetic to the needs of City Hall; however, they are also aware of the financial straits of the City. Because of the current financial crisis, the mayor has indicated that the City does not have the ability to spend more on City Hall at this time.

The commission is in the process of applying for National Historic Landmark status so that we are eligible to apply for large federal and private grants. Unfortunately, cutbacks in state funding have resulted in a statewide budget of only about $750,000 for the Massachusetts Historical Commission's historic preservation grants. The Commission is constantly on the lookout for grant opportunities and welcomes input from the community on potential grant opportunities.

But the bottom line at the moment is this - it is up to all of us who care about preserving our heritage to help restore City Hall.

The project will be continuous, just as with maintenance of one's own home. It will take a lot of money to bring the building back into a condition that restores the exterior and the interior and provides adequate office facilities. A lot of money!

But with a phased plan, we could make significant progress over the next few years.

Phase I is the current tower restoration project. (funded)

Phase II would be the completion of the tower ($651,800).

Phase III would include repairs of the ventilators & cornices (2008 estimated cost of $1,440,000 million)

Phase IV would include masonry, windows & porticos (2008 estimated cost of $1,145,700)

Time is of the essence! The longer we wait the more expensive the projects.

We are sometimes asked why we don't give the building away to a Historical Society - the answer is simple "who would take on the ownership of this neglected building?"

Another question is why don't we tear it down? The answer is many-fold: (a) we are bound to keep it maintained due to a federally mandated preservation restriction; (b) the consequences to Downtown would be devastating if the civic center was destroyed; (c) if we care anything about our heritage we will do all in our power to keep the building intact and functioning as a community center.

City Hall has been standing on Dale Avenue since 1871. It's a glorious building that deserves a bright future. To this end, the City Hall Restoration Commission is embarking on a public fund-raising effort.

We are pleased that the Gloucester Fund has agreed to serve as the repository for tax-deductible donations earmarked for City Hall Restoration. By using the Gloucester Fund, the money will be kept separate from any other city purposes.

Please help us by donating as much as you can to by sending a check to the Gloucester Fund with the notation "City Hall Restoration" to The Gloucester Fund, 45 Middle St., Gloucester, MA 01930 (tel: 978-281-2822).

If you have any questions please contact Maggie Rosa by email: maggierosa@comcast.net.

Maggie Rosa (Chair), J.J. Bell, Jan Bell, Steve Dexter, Alan Hagstrom, Mary McCarl, Steve Pardee

Gloucester City Hall Restoration Commission