History of Old Town Hall (Town of Babylon History Book, Chapter 18)
Town of Babylon History Book - History of Old Town Hall (chapter 18; April 2025)
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| The old Babylon Town Hall, c. 1920. |
History of Old Town Hall
The Town of Babylon did not have a
centralized town hall or government offices when it was formed in 1872. The
Town Board met at hotels in the larger communities of Babylon, Amityville and Lindenhurst
(formerly Breslau). The old American House, where the first Town of Babylon
Board Meeting took place, was located just east of the first Town Hall, at the
northwest corner of West Main Street and Deer Park Avenue.
In the early years, Town Officials
maintained offices in their own homes. The Town Clerk who was responsible for
the recordkeeping of all Town documents, originally kept the records in their
home and then later they were transferred to rented offices in a village near
their home. When a new Town Clerk was elected, it was possible that the records
were transferred to a new location chosen by the new Clerk.
A 1911 article in the Amityville Record declared that the Town
had “two town halls.”[i]
It described that Town Clerk Charles Warta had an office on Wellwood Avenue in
Lindenhurst, which would also be used by the Receiver of Taxes. A second
building for Town business was located on Deer Park Avenue in Babylon, used by
Supervisor Edward Daily, open every day from 9am to 5pm. The Babylon building
also held court sessions by the Town’s Justices of the Peace.
The safety of
Town records was of great concern. In 1916, the Public Records Division of the
New York State Department of Education made an inspection of the Clerk’s
records and declared the immediate need for the erection of a fire proof vault
and larger quarters for the Town Clerk.[ii]
It was also suggested that the Town Board meet at the Clerk’s office for ease
of access to public records.
The debate to erect a Town Hall had been
going on for years, but the report of the State Public Records officer hastened
the concern. Over the years, several locations for a Town Hall had been
proposed. At that time, Lindenhurst had not yet incorporated as a village and
had been a favored location; however, Amityville and Babylon were also eager to
have the Town Seat situated in their communities. Incidentally, Babylon Village
faced the same inspection by the State Public Records Department, and for a
time, a joint village-town building was proposed. (The Babylon Village
Municipal Building at West Main Street and Carll Avenue opened in 1926.)
Just a few months after the State
inspection, the location debate was settled with the gift of property from the
family of David S.S. Sammis, as a memorial to him. Sammis was a prominent
village resident and businessman whose interests included the famous Surf Hotel
on Fire Island. Valued between $10,000 and $15,000, the donated property
covered nearly one-third of the estimated cost of the new Town Hall.[iii]
The only condition made by the Sammis family was that the Town of Babylon erect
the building within two years.
During that time, the South Side Signal newspaper reported some friendly competition with
the Town of Easthampton that was also considering the construction of a town
hall. Declaring “old Easthampton won’t be the first to erect a town hall, watch
Babylon!” [iv]
The Babylon Railroad trolley line was
still in existence during the construction and opening of the Town Hall.
Accessibility by trolley to Babylon from Amityville and Lindenhurst was cited
as a benefit to the Town Hall’s placement in Babylon Village.
The Inter-Village Citizens Town Hall
Committee (IVTHC) was formed to help endorse the town hall project and
encourage voter participation.[v]
The Women’s Auxiliary of the IVTHC was formed to assist in getting women
taxpayers to the polls.[vi]
(Women gained the right to vote in New York, in 1917.) The Women’s Auxiliary
held a public meeting at the “Babylon moving picture theatre,” showing a series
of movies to the assembled. Town residents voted on and approved a $35,000
petition from the Town Board for erection of the building.
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| “The above is reproduced from a pen and ink design submitted by Architect Inglee, of Amityville, to the Nonpartisan Intervillage Town Hall Citizens Committee. The committee filed a petition with the Babylon Town Board yesterday asking for a vote by the taxpayers on April 3, on the proposition to raise $35,000 by a bond issue, payable within ten years.”[7] |
The week
before the election, the South Side
Signal wrote: “The state has repeatedly shown us conclusively that we must
have a fireproof place for the preservation of our town records, and the
calamity of several years ago when many of our town records were lost in the
Velsor fire in Amityville is an object lesson that none can forget.”[i]
On April 3, 1917 town voters passed the
Town Hall proposal 667 to 462. Voters in north and south Amityville and
Copiague were nearly tied, and Lindenhurst voters overwhelmingly tried to
defeat the proposition. However, East Farmingdale, Deer Park and Babylon village
residents used their majority to pass the ballot.[ii]
In fact, the efforts of the Women’s Auxiliary were highly credited with the
successful outcome.
The April vote also brought the election
of a new Town Supervisor, Babylon village resident, John Clinton Robbins.
Shortly after the vote, the designs of architect Lewis Inglee were chosen over
those of E. Post Tooker.[iii]
Inglee was an Amityville resident whose other public building projects included
the Marion G. Vedder School in North Babylon, the Lindenhurst Middle School and
the former Amityville Village Hall.
When the Town called for bids for the new
building, not one bid was received. The high cost of materials, particularly
the proposed marble, was too expensive.[iv]
Inglee made modifications to the plans and of the six bids for the building
construction, Moses R. Cornwell of Rockville Centre was chosen by the Town
Board.[v]
The original plans called for wooden columns on the front porch, but that was
not considered in order for a “fireproof” town hall. In order to save money, it
was decided to delay the finishing of the second floor, so that “Donaldson
Roman stone” could be used instead.
Supervisor Robbins, accompanied by other town officials, marked the commencement of the building project by turning the first shovel of dirt, on September 4, 1917.[vi] At the end of 1917, when the construction of the building was taking shape, and the United States entered into World War I, the South Side Signal declared it “fortunate that the matter [of a town hall] was pushed to a successful issue before the severe war strain came upon us.”
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Dedication of the cornerstone, March 13,
1918. |
The
building cornerstone is inscribed “1917.” The original date scheduled for the
cornerstone dedication was December 28, 1917, with plans for an automobile and
vehicle parade “in which every machine and vehicle in the township, it is
hoped, will be in the line.”[i]
However, the day proved to be too cold and the dedication was rescheduled to
March 13, 1918, which was the 46th anniversary of the creation of
the Town of Babylon.[ii]
Supervisor Robbins dedicated a time-capsule that contained copies of the South Side Signal newspaper, the Brooklyn Times newspaper, coins and other
souvenirs. After the ceremony, the gathered officials assembled at Casey’s
hotel (formerly the Sherman House), to honor the occasion.[iii]
By September 1918, the town board
instructed the contractor to lay a “marbloid floor” on the second floor, using
the proceeds of dog licenses ($1,115.98) to cover the cost.[iv]
The Town Clerk and other town offices moved into their new quarters at the end
of October.[v]
The following month, the Town Seal, in
colored marble, was laid in the main hall, and the town board approved funds to
complete the second floor.[vi]
The first board meeting was held in the new building on November 6, 1918.
Two bronze plaques were dedicated. The first honors David S.S.
Sammis and is mounted on the front of the building, to the left of the front
doors. It reads: “To honor the memory of David Sturges Sprague Sammis,
1818-1895, loyal citizen and public benefactor. His children and grandchildren
in 1917 presented the site on which this building stands to the Town of
Babylon.” The other commemorates Town officials – “Town House, 1917 – erected –
1918, Town board: John Clinton Robbins, supervisor; Ellis A. Taylor, town
clerk; justices of the peace, George W. Irmisch, James B. Cooper, Henry A.
Edwards, Paul Bailey, 1917; Franklin S. Purdy, LaClede Wilson; superintendent
of highways, William S. Willmarth; Moses R. Corwell, builder, Rockville Center,
N.Y.; Lewis Inglee, architect, Amityville, N.Y.”[vii]
The final part of the building to be
completed was the basement lockup. The town board awarded an $800 contract to
move the men’s jail cell bars, from Grove Place to the town hall basement.[viii]
On March 7, 1919, the Babylon Leader
proclaimed that “the cells are in the new Town House, ready to receive the
first victim.”[ix] By
July 1919, the Babylon Leader
declared the “Town House Nearly Complete.”[x]
The first floor had offices for the Town Supervisor, the Receiver of Taxes and
the Town Clerk. The Town Clerk’s office included a large vault for the security
of records. The second floor had an office for the Town Constables and the
large courtroom/boardroom with Judges’ chambers behind the court bench.
On August 23, 1919, the new Town House was the center of a
“Welcome Home” parade for returning servicemen and servicewomen who served in
World War I. The front step were used for a reviewing stand the building was
draped in flags and bunting. The Babylon
Leader described the parade and the day’s events as “the greatest day in
many respects that Babylon has ever known.”[xi]
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| Old Town Hall as the grandstand for the Welcome Home Parade for servicemen and women who served in World War I. |
In June 1927 the final installment of the indebtedness for the
Town Hall construction was paid. Supervisor Joseph P. Warta recommended that
the Town should purchase more land and expand the Town Hall, stating “The
business of our town is steadily growing and within a few years the present
building will be entirely too small.”[i]
Although it was designed to have a clock on the cupola, it
wasn’t included during construction. Proximity to the official village clock in
the Presbyterian Church steeple, just a block to the east, probably made it
seem redundant to have another clock on the Town Hall. In 1939, an editorial in
the Babylon Leader declared a clock
“a necessity in most public buildings” and suggested that the Town Board could
have one installed for $1,000, but it never came to pass.[ii]
The building was the seat of Town
government until the fall of 1958, when the new Town Hall on Sunrise Highway
was completed. The need for a new Town Hall had been debated for several years
as a result of the growing population and the increase of Town offices,
services and records storage needs. The old Town Hall was then used by the
Motor Vehicles Bureau, until 1963.
On January
1, 1964, the District Court System took effect in the five western towns of
Suffolk County. All of the towns which adopted the new court system were
required to provide court facilities. Then Supervisor William T. Lauder and the
Town Board chose to make modest renovations to the Old Town Hall for the court
rather than constructing a new facility, a cost saving move.[iii]
At its inception, the second floor board
room was used by the new District Court Judge, Ernest I. Signorelli, of
Copiague.[iv]
On the main floor, the former Motor Vehicle office was refurbished to house
Justice of the Peace Gilbert Hanse. Justice Hanse had two more years on his
term as Justice, so for a short time, the Courthouse accommodated two court
systems. The Courthouse was used until 1979 when the building was sold to
William Higgins, who operated a photography studio in the building for nearly
25 years.[v]
On April 13, 2004, through Resolution No. 299,
the Babylon Town Board reacquired Old Town Hall for town use.[vi]
On October 5, 2005, the majestic building was honored with placement on the
National Register of Historic Places.
The historic building was restored, inside
and out, and an extension was made to the northeast corner of the building
allowing the construction of an elevator, with access to all floors. On June
11, 2010, the Old Town Hall was rededicated as the Town of Babylon History
Museum. That date also commemorated the 100th anniversary of the
electric trolley line between Babylon and Amityville.[vii]
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| Old Town Hall on June 11, 2010, the opening day of the Town of Babylon History Museum. The replica Town of Babylon Police car led the trolley-bus filled with dignitaries and guests to the opening gathering. |
__________________________
History of Old Town Hall
- “Town Has Two Town Halls,” Amityville Record, May 26, 1911, p. 4.
- “Public Records Are In Danger – State Says We Must Plan for the Erection of a Town Hall to Property Safeguard Our Books and Papers,” South Side Signal, November 17, 1916, p. 1, 8.
- “Sammis Estate To Give Town Hall Site – Fine Property on Main Street, Valued Around $15,000, Offered as Memorial to the Late David S.S. Sammis,” South Side Signal, January 5, 1917, p. 1; “Everybody Come Out To Tuesday’s Meeting,” South Side Signal, January 12, 1917, p. 1; “Sammis Offer Received By Town – First Step Taken in Official Programme Leading Up to the Building of a Town Hall on Main Street Site,” South Side Signal, January 26, 1917, p. 1, 8; “A Sammis Memorial,” South Side Signal, July 13, 1917, p. 4.
- “Town Hall Talk,” South Side Signal, January 19, 1917, p. 4.
- “Big Inter-Village Movement Started For Erection of Babylon’s Town Hall – Enthusiastic Gathering of Citizens on Tuesday Received Formal Offer of Valuable Site on Main Street From the Sammis Heirs, Then Named Non-Partisan Committee From All Sections to Help the Cause – Opposition From Lindenhurst Will Likely Disappear,” South Side Signal, January 19, 1917, p. 1.
- “Women Will Help Win Town Hall – Inter-village Citizens Committee Call Upon the Fair Ones to Help Push this Important Project to Final Success,” South Side Signal, March 9, 1917, p. 1; “Work For Town Hall – Woman’s Auxiliary to Citizens Inter-Village Committee Will Organize Tonight – Plan Public Meeting,” South Side Signal, March 16, 1917, p. 1.
- “Town Hall Petition Asks for $35,000 – Formal Request for Submission of Question to Taxpayers on April 3 Was Filed With Town Board Yesterday – One Design Is Already In – Architect Inglee Prepares Detailed Plan for Building, Which Was Presented to Inter-Village Committee at Last Saturday’s Meeting – Active Campaign Planned,” South Side Signal, February 9, 1917, p. 1, 5.
- “Now For The Town Hall,” South Side Signal, March 30, 1917, p. 3.
- “Voting The Propositions,” South Side Signal, March 30, 1917, p. 3; “Town Hall Is Sure, The Taxpayers Voting By Majority Of 205 To Spend $35,000 For New Municipal Building – Babylon Village Went Almost Solid In Favor of the Proposition, Only 41 in a total of 512 Being Against It – Amityville Did Good Work for the Cause and Held Down Adverse Ballot to Almost an Even Break – Lindenhurst Stuck to Its Purpose of Trying to Defeat It and Cast Only 16 Votes in a Total of 281 – Farmingdale and Deer Park Districts Kept Faith in Promise to Boost the Project -- $245,000 Road Bond Issue Is Knocked Out,” South Side Signal, April 6, 1917, p. 1.
- “Inglee Indorsed As Town Architect – Citizens Committee Recommends Amityville Man to Assist in Erecting Proper Town Hall if Proposition Is Carried,” South Side Signal, February 23, 1917, p. 1; “Town Hall Architect – Lewis Inglee, of Amityville, Picked By Town Board to Plan for New Municipal Building on Main Street,” South Side Signal, April 27, 1917, p. 1.
- “May Not Open Bids – High Cost of Material Alarms Contractors Who Were Planning Estimates on Erecting New Town Hall,” South Side Signal, July 20, 1917, p. 1; “No Bids Received For Town Hall – Specifications Prove Too Elaborate and Architect Is Instructed to Tone Down – Figures To Be In On August 4,” South Side Signal, July 27, 1917, p. 1.
- “Cornwell Has Low Town Hall Bid – Rockville Centre Man Beats Out Five Other Contractors and Town Board May Give Him the Big Job – Local Bidders Ran Close – Rogers and Blydenburgh and John F. Cockerill Were Only $373 Apart and E.W. Howell $700 Behind – Figuring to Substitute Terra Cotta For Wooden Pillars,” South Side Signal, August 17, 1917, p. 1.
- “Will Start Town Hall Next Tuesday – Contracts for Building New Municipal Headquarters Signed on Wednesday, Totaling the Sum of $34,820 – Robbins To Turn First Dirt – Wooden Pillars and Cornice Have Been Eliminated and Roman Stone, With Corrugated Finish, Has Been Substituted – R.M. Mansfield Only Local Contractor,” South Side Signal, August 31, 1917, p. 1.
- “December 28 Fixed As Dedication Day – Our New Town House Will Be Formally Celebrated With An Auto Parade, Music and a Speech By Judge-Elect Furman,” South Side Signal, December 67, 1918, p. 1; “Town House Dedication Set For December 28 – County Judge Furman Is to Speak – Parade and Other Festivities Being Arranged,” Babylon Leader, December 6, 1918, p. 1.
- “Too Cold To Lay Town Hall Stone – Zero Weather Holds Up Public Ceremony of Official Christening – Postponed Indefinitely,” South Side Signal, January 4, 1918, p. 1.
- “Town Hall Corner Stone Is Laid On Forty-Sixth Township Birthday – Appropriate Ceremonies Marked Official Setting of Permanent Record in First Municipal Building, Built Through First Issue of Bonds By the Town – Supervisor Robbins, Orator of the Day, Lauds Women Helpers – Some Historical Recollections,” South Side Signal, March 15, 1918, p. 1.
- “Will Finish Second Floor of Town Hall,” South Side Signal, September 20, 1918, p. 1.
- “Will Move Into New Town Hall Next Week,” South Side Signal, October 25, 1918, p. 1.
- “Babylon Town Seal,” South Side Signal, November 15, 1918, p. 1; “Town In New Headquarters, First Meeting Held Wednesday – Will Be Held in the Tax Receivers’ Office Probably Until January 1,” Babylon Leader, November 1, 1918, p. 1.
- “Bronze Tablets Placed in New Town House,” South Side Signal, February 14, 1919, p. 1.
- “Contract Let To Remove Cells – Only One Bid Offered, Which Was Accepted,” Babylon Leader, February 7, 1919, p. 1.
- “Town Board To Sell Bastille – The Old Jail of Babylon Is to Go Under the Hammer,” Babylon Leader, March 7, 1919, p. 1.
- “Town House Nearly Complete – Lights Installed and Other Work Ordered – Court Can Be Used For Any Public Purpose,” Babylon Leader, July 11, 1919, p. 1.
- “Babylon Welcomes its Service Men – Elaborate Programme Was Success From Start to Finish – Large Attendance – Perfect Weather,” Babylon Leader, August 29, 1919, p. 1.
- “Town Hall is Too Small Now – Supervisor Warta Says More Land Must Be Bought for Babylon’s Office Needs – Old Building Paid For,” Amityville Record, July 8, 1927, p. 1.
- “Time for a Town Clock,” Babylon Leader, February 16, 1939, p. 6.
- “Town’s Court House Ready For New Role,” Babylon Town Leader, January 9, 1964, Part II, p. 9.
- “New Year Brings New Babylon Town Court – Signorelli Takes Over As 1st District Judge,” Babylon Town Leader, January 9, 1964, Part II, p. 1.
- “2 District Courts to Move,” by Steve Wick, Newsday, February 20, 1979, p. 23; “Studio in the Image Of a Courthouse,” Newsday, June 11, 1980, p. 21; “Iron bars do not a prison make,” Daily News, June 26, 1981, p. NS 3.
- “Old town hall buyback – After 25 years under private ownership, the town plans to pay $1 million to purchase the 1917 building,” by Jennifer Smith, Newsday, April 15, 2004, p. A52; “What’s old is new again – Town hall, restored to glory, reopens to public after 25 years,” by Jennifer Smith, Newsday, October 31, 2004, p. G36, G34.
- “A trip to Babylon’s past,” by Denise M. Bonilla, Newsday, June 12, 2010, p. A10.
