Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-03-26

structure may have answered the pur-
pose in 1S4S, and $4,000 one in 1925.
The old hall, Of brick, originally was
"a feet wide by Ga feet deep. The cor
nerstone was laid Aug. 2, 1924, and the
completed structure dedicated May 2,
1925, with due ceremony. This had one
large hall in the first story and two in
the second, one OF which was designed
more or less for the Worcester Agricul-
tural Society, and all the halls were
brought into special use on exhibition
days, the fore part Of October, while the
lawn on the east side was occupied with
pens for the cattle along the Front
street side, and as much of the other
part of the old common as might be
needed for stock exhibition or specta-
tors The cattle show time used to be
the great day Of the year, generally the
second week in October, when all Vege-
tables were ripe.
AS the town increased in population,
the old hall was increased in size by
the addition of so feet to the east end,
in 1S41, when the second story of both
the first part and the addition became
the upper town hail." for large meet
ings, with two halls below, called least
town hall'' and "west town hail." re-
spectively, for smaller meetings, as
might be needed. When the town be-
came a city, in 1S48, the west lower hall
was converted into rooms for the city
council, clerk, treasurer, etc, and the
east lower hall into police court room,
with the police office in tine basement Of
the east end.
In 1852 the speakers platform in the
upper hall or city hail was changed
from the north side to the east end,
the gallery at that side was removed,
retiring rooms were constructed at each
end Of the platform on the north side,
and narrow flight of stairs was built
at the northeast corner of the building,
to give access TO them without going
through the audience room. In 1857 the
south flight of stairs to the upper hall
from the front entrance was removed,
to enlarge the quarters Of the city clerk,
whose office was then removed to it's
present location, windows being at this
time substituted for the two original
doors on each side of the main entrance,
and a change was made in the north
flight of stairs to the upper or city hail
by which an office for the city messen-
ger was created in its present location
between these stairs and the north front
windows, An Office was at this time
also made for the superintendent of
schools at the head Of the stairs over
that of the city clerk, comprising the
front portion Of the location afterwards
appropriated for the mayors office.
The next change of Importance in the
building was made in 1865, under the
first years administration of Mayor
Blake, when an almost entire rear
rangement of the interior was made, by
transferring the city council and police
court rooms into the old ''city halr' in
the second story, with the mayors Of
| flee in front, devoting the whole of the
| first story to the various offices, and en-
larging the police department by deep
enng the floor of the basement and ex-
tending it under the whole building. Az
ter the subsequent removal Of the police
department, in 1885, to the present quar-
tiers on Waldo street, rooms were fitted
up in the basement for the superintend-