Town Meeting Approves Abbot Hall Restoration

In a relatively short three-hour Town Meeting, Marblehead leaders voted unanimously Monday night to approve spending up to $2.4 million to repair a deteriorating Abbot Hall clock tower.

The proposed repairs to the more than 200-year-old structure must now be approved by the voters in a general election next month.

"The time has come to make significant repairs," said Board of Selectman Chair Jackie Belf-Becker, calling the tower Marblehead's icon. "Mere patching is no longer sufficient."

Town Administrator Jeff Chelgren said if the measure is approved by the voters, the town, which has a Triple A credit rating, would raise the funds through bonds.

The cost of the bonds would raise taxes on a median income house of $476,000 between $13.67  to $15.89 a year. The difference was whether the repairs will cost $2.1 million or $2.4 million.

It was estimated that the state Architectural Access Board, because of the size of this restoration, would require that Abbot Hall be made handicapped accessible. Those changes to the entrances and other improvements to the building would cost an estimated $344,743.

Chelgren earlier said he is hopeful that the architectural board would grant the town waivers as it did in repairs to the Old Town House.

Much of the proposed repairs would be to deteriorating masonry. Cracks have allowed water to seep in to the structure, causing rust and rot. The building must also be strengthened with tension wires at its base. The clock face is also in dire need of repairs and paint. Here is a detailed report on the exact repairs.

Before the vote, Betty Hunt told the Town Meeting members, who gathered at the Middle School auditorium, that Abbot Hall was originally built for about $75,000, which was a gift from a wealthy benefactor. The cornerstone was laid in July of 1876, a century after the Declaration of Independence was signed.  

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