Town Hall ceremony set for May 18

SWAMPSCOTT-The Swampscott Historical Commission is the process of planning re-dedication ceremonies for Swampscott Town Hall on Monument Avenue.Town Hall has been closed for almost a year, while the historic property underwent extensive renovations.Sylvia Belkin, who is a member of the Swampscott Historical Commission, said the rededication has been scheduled for May 18 from 1-4 p.m.Town Hall, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was built in 1899 for the co-founder of General Electric, Elihu Thomson. It was sold to the town in 1944 and has been used as a town hall since that time but very few modifications were made when the building underwent the transition from a private residence to a municipal building. Belkin said that, several years after Thomson died, his widow offered the building to the town with a gift and purchase arrangement and Town Meeting agreed to purchase the property for use as Town Hall.Belkin said much of Thomson’s later work was done in a laboratory, which was connected to the main house by a covered bridge. The bridge was removed when the town bought the home but the first and second floors of the laboratory have been in use since the town purchased the property. The third floor of his laboratory, which had never been used by the town, has been restored and will house offices and an archival center for the preservation of old town documents and memorabilia.Belkin said when the property was purchased by the town, architectural plans focused on saving as much of the building’s interior and exterior character as possible.In early June 2007, offices that were located in Town Hall moved to the former Temple Israel property, 837 Humphrey St., so the renovation project could get underway and Town Hall employees are expected to move back into the building soon after the rededication.The renovation project system upgrades include new central heating and air conditioning systems as well as updated electrical systems and fire suppression systems.For the first time in its history, the entire facility is handicapped accessible and the connector wing is equipped with a handicapped accessible elevator and handicapped accessible bathrooms are located on all three levels.The extensive renovation project, which has taken more than a year to complete, utilizes most of the third floor, which for years was only used for storage.Immediately following the 1 p.m. rededication ceremony on May 18, SHC member Mary Cassidy is scheduled to make a slide presentation of photographs taken when Thomson was alive and contrast those with photographs taken over the past year showing the renovation process. Belkin is scheduled to speak about Thomson’s life and his impact on technology.