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A CROWN FOR looked in 1935, with a flag pole and large circular space left a clock, but the clock was never installed. Below the new bell tower after it was installed. Port Perry's Town Hall after the original bell tower was removed in 1951. Port Perry’s Town Hall 1873 has undergone many changes over the past cen- tury, but possibly one of the most dramatic changes took place in 1951 when the decorative bell tower on top of the hall’s two-storey brick edifice was removed. The aging wooden structure (upper left), had been considered unsafe for a number of years. In fact, as early as 1939, the bell tower had been slated for removal during renovations of the hall, which included replacement of the roof, enlargement of the stage and front entrance. But it was more than a decade later when council decided it was a hazard to the public and ordered it removed. The bell tower was finally removed from the hall in October 1951 by local contractor Ed Storey, who replaced it with an unattract- ive squat peak (seen in the photo on opposite page). For the next 24 years, this important municipal building sat crowned with its unimpressive cap. The Town Hall 1873 Committee was formed in 1974, to save the aging hall from destruction. They began a campaign to raise funds to renovate both the interior and exterior of the community’s historic town hall. One of the driving forces behind the project and in having the tower replaced was Marjorie Letcher, wife of Merlin Letcher who had served as Port Perry’s Reeve for 13 E years, from 1933 to 1945. Two sections of the replica bell tower are seen Mrs. Letcher donated $10,000 toward the here being moved along Queen St, towards the construction and replacement of anidentical Town Hall, on a flatbed truck in May 1975. replica of the tower. It’s believed this project Marjorie Letcher 16 FOCUS - MAy 2015