As most people know the current Town Hall is the second town hall building to sit on this site.

The original Town Hall was an impressive brick and granite structure designed by L. B. Valk of New York and was dedicated on July 24th 1882. The 3-story building contained the police department, a men’s clothing store, municipal offices, and (on the third floor) The Gem Opera House. The clock tower held a clock by Seth Thomas which featured glass dials that were illuminated by a gas from plant within the building.

In 1961 it was decided that the old town hall had outlived its usefulness and the search for a location for a new town hall commenced. It was ultimately decided that the town would purchase (and demolish) the McKim, Mead and White-designed Children’s Library and demolish the existing town hall. Town hall operations were then temporarily moved to the JH Whittemore House on Church St.

The new Henry Moeckel-designed town hall was constructed by the W.J. Megin Company and was dedicated on December 18th 1965. Rev. Winfred Langhorst provided the invocation for the dedication ceremony referencing the buildings “classic beauty” and “simplicity of design”. The new building should have been hailed as a modern architectural jewel but many residents mourned the loss of the Children’s Library and old town hall too much to see the beauty in it. It remains a point of contention for many and an example of why historic preservation is so important.