- Students tour city hall for Preserve Our Past essay
- By Stephanie Sorrell-White, Times Staff Writer
Posted May. 5, 2015 at 6:24 PM - LITTLE FALLS — Where the staircases meet at Little Falls City Hall is a stained glass picture window of Moss Island, made by Abram Zoller in 1918*.
(*Actually he was the mayor at the time of construction and he gave it as a gift. Nan Ressue, Pres. POP)The image represents the growth of the city from its roots in a bustling waterway, according to First Ward Alderman Jeffrey Gressler.
“This is a thematic connection to our most important government building,” he said on Tuesday, while giving students a tour of the building at 659 E. Main St.
Fourth-grade students at Benton Hall Academy and Mohawk Valley Christian Academy have been asked to write an essay by the Preserve Our Past group about why the nearly 100-year-old structure should be preserved.
“It’s a historic treasure,” said Gressler, also a board member of the Little Falls Historical Society. “It’s our job to protect the building, and then give it to who? The next generation … It’s a gift.”
“We received this as a gift from the generation before,” added Patricia Frezza-Gressler.
Mena Cerone, a P.O.P board member, said a monetary prize from Dr. Peter Adasek will be awarded to whoever writes the winning essay, which will also be published in the Main Street First Gazette. There will also be additional prizes, including medallions that commemorate City Hall and a pizza party for students who participate in the contest.
“We want awareness,” said Cerone, about having students write the “The Importance of Preserving Little Falls City Hall” essay.” Some of these children have probably never seen the inside of the building … We want to protect this building.”
Cerone said other historic buildings have been razed in
the city.
- “Too many beautiful, old buildings have been torn down and a lesser building goes in its place,” she said.
Little Falls Mayor Robert Peters gave students a tour through City Hall on Tuesday, showing them the police department, the lock up facility, the city courtroom, the city clerk’s office, the city treasurer’s office and the Common Council chambers.
“I think it’s a big asset to our future generation to know the history about City Hall,” he said.
Peters said all the functions of City Hall are incorporated into a two-story building on a half a block in Little Falls, where it could be spread out across in other communities.
In 2014, P.O.P. spearheaded a cooperative effort with the Common Council to restore City Hall. Peters said the council has a committee working on finding funds to help move forward with preservation efforts at the building.
Another feature of the building that was highlighted during the students’ tour was the multi-colored glass dome at the top of the Beaux Arts style building. It also has terra cotta construction and marble staircases. They also talked about what is in need of repair, including in the council chambers where water damage is visible on one of its walls.
