The city hall bell. Save it!

I thought about starting a thread for this bell even though this bell has been mentioned in a different topic. And that's because maybe this is a viable project, the reinstatement of this bell. Renovating a building, a theater or a skyscraper demands an enormous ammount of money. And how much is much? $10.000,-? That's small change for Illich.

There is another bell in the USA which is woven into the fabric of that country. A beel which was an iferior cast, a bell that cracked but even though the sound is gone, this bell still retains a place in the heart of every American. It's the liberty bell.

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In 1950, the United States Department of the Treasury assisted by several private companies selected Paccard Foundry in Annecy-le-Vieux, France, to cast 55 full-sized replicas of the Liberty Bell. The bells were shipped as gifts to states and territories of the United States and the District of Columbia to be displayed and rung on patriotic occasions. This was part of a savings bond drive held from May 15 to July 4, 1950 with the slogan "Save for Your Independence." The table below shows the most recent known location of each state and territory replica Liberty Bell.

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A quote taken from the website of the virtual liberty bell museum.

Every state has it's own liberty bell. There are more than the 55 replica's to be found but I won't bother you with it. Why I mentioned this museum is that a yoke like this could and maybe should also be made for the city hall bell. And it would be very symbolic to use materials of buildings lost for that, like they did with the USS New York, for which the bow of that ship has been made of steel girders of the World Trade Center.

Here's the Michigan example in the State Capitol.
http://www.michigan.gov/images/hal_m...ll_83989_7.jpg

Wouldn't it be nice to see this bell get a prominent place again in the city on Campus Martius? It's a bell to remind Detroit citizens what has been lost in the city center. A place to remember the buildings fallen to the wrecker, like the Statler, Tuller, Lafayette and.... city hall.

Wake up the city! Wake up, Detroit!



Your thoughts

Could we use Kwame's head for the clapper?

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Originally Posted by Retroit

Could we use Kwame's head for the clapper?

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With the earring it might work, but in all honesty I think it would be difficult to shut up.

I am for saving the bell & all the stone & cannon from City Hall.

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In 1950 the United States Department of the Treasury, with funding from private corporations, ordered 53 full-scale reproductions of the Liberty Bell for each of the states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. The bells were cast at the historic Paccard Fonderie de Cloches [[Paccard Foundry of Bells) in Annecy-le-Vieux, Haute-Savoie, France.


States were expected to display the bells and ring them on patriotic occasions. The bells promoted the 1950 campaign to sell U.S. Savings Bonds. Because the nation would also begin celebration of the 175th anniversary of American independence in 1950, the slogan of the bond drive was "Save for Your Independence."


Transported to Lansing aboard a truck painted red, white and blue, Michigan's bell was displayed outdoors at the Capitol on May 31 for ceremonies that kicked off the bond campaign. It was then taken on a statewide tour. Upon its return to Lansing, the bell was installed on the glass first floor of the Capitol building. [[The photo, above, shows workers moving the bell off the glass floor when it was removed in 1968.)

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http://www.michigan.gov/printerFrien...5824--,00.html

I'm confused, this bell doesn't seem to have ever been in Detroit, why would we move it there "again"?

Edit: I guess you are talking about two different bells? I don't know. Maybe saving a bell will help. Let's DO something!

I found out that bell weighs 7670 lbs. and costed $2,782. Those are both a lot more than I expected. I presume the bell was made sometime around the construction of the city hall [[1868-1871).

I was trying to find out what the bell was used for. Just for time? Or special occasions?

7670? Wow... That would explain why a scrapper hasn't made off with it!

With all of the talk of Liberty Bells, both in Philadelphia and apparently from the looks of it in a cafeteria somewhere in Lansing, I think I missed something. Exactly where is the bell from Detroit's City Hall right now?

indeed I was using the lliberty bell as an example of how the bell could be displayed. Here in the Netherlands the changing of the year is used to play some michief. There are some famous examples of that. I will post some picturea the coming weekend. One time a full size [[decomissioned) lifeboat was kidnapped with a truck. So with the right equipment it's no problem.

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Originally Posted by EastsideAl

With all of the talk of Liberty Bells, both in Philadelphia and apparently from the looks of it in a cafeteria somewhere in Lansing, I think I missed something. Exactly where is the bell from Detroit's City Hall right now?

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Read this thread:

http://detroityes.com/mb/showthread.php?t=3999

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Originally Posted by jtf1972

http://www.detroitblog.org/?p=469

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better still, look for a picture in the "Shorpy does it again" topic.

Thanks jtf

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Originally Posted by Sludgedaddy

Reading the article in today's Detroit News on cryonics, I can't stop thinking about Detroit's once famous Rita Bell. To bad she's long gone, she would have been worth preserving.

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Bill Kennedy once claimed that she had no lower torso.

Our once-beloved Rita Bell:

http://lifeinlegacy.com/2003/1220/BellRita.jpg

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Originally Posted by Whitehouse

better still, look for a picture in the "Shorpy does it again" topic.

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After I posted I realized it wasn't on that page, so I ammended! :D

The bell that was atop City Hall in Detroit is on a couple of 2" x 4"'s in front of the 1905 Guardhouse at Fort Wayne. It has been there, exposed to the elements, for over 20 years that I know of. I remember when some members of the Coalition moved it to its current location a few years back. I make mention of it every time that I give a tour. Everyone always says what a shame it is to see it in such a state, but no one has risen to the occasion as of yet.

I am sure the Historical Society/CoD Recreation Department would entertain all offers to help with its restoration/preservation.

There was some discussion a few years back about someone [[perhaps Metaldoctor?) building a new cradle for it, but that has not happened as of yet.

If you need some contact information in regard to a preservation effort, I can put you in touch with the guy directly responsible for the bell's oversight.

Res

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Originally Posted by PlymouthRes

The bell that was atop City Hall in Detroit is on a couple of 2" x 4"'s in front of the 1905 Guardhouse at Fort Wayne. It has been there, exposed to the elements, for over 20 years that I know of. I remember when some members of the Coalition moved it to its current location a few years back. I make mention of it every time that I give a tour. Everyone always says what a shame it is to see it in such a state, but no one has risen to the occasion as of yet.

I am sure the Historical Society/CoD Recreation Department would entertain all offers to help with its restoration/preservation.

There was some discussion a few years back about someone [[perhaps Metaldoctor?) building a new cradle for it, but that has not happened as of yet.

If you need some contact information in regard to a preservation effort, I can put you in touch with the guy directly responsible for the bell's oversight.

Res

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Have you considered a T-shirt sale? A Lego replica to raise awareness?

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Originally Posted by PQZ

Have you considered a T-shirt sale? A Lego replica to raise awareness?

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PQZ.. I guess once you move away... it's easy to become uninformed... otherwise you would have known that the Henry Ford beat you to the punch...

http://www.hfmgv.org/events/legoExhibit.aspx

Oh my god, they found Rita Bell buried in the woods by Fort Wayne! And someone propped her up on two by fours by a parking lot!

From some Web site called BuildingsofDetroit.com, ahem, shameless plug:

"One of the nation's top clockmakers, W.A. Hendrie of Chicago, created the clock especially for Detroit and regarded it as his masterpiece. Its four dials – each 8 feet 3 inches in diameter and made in Glasgow, Scotland – were illuminated at night so citizens all over downtown could see the time. [[Remember, the clock tower was the highest point in the city then.) When its 125-pound pendulum first swung into action at the building’s formal dedication on July 4, 1871, it was the largest clock in the United States. But such a title came with a price: $2,850 [[about $70,000 today). Taxpayers angrily decried that it was a waste of money. The clock tower’s bell weighed in at 7,670 pounds [[3.8 tons) and cost another $2,782 [[about $68,000 today)."

More where this came from at buildingsofdetroit.com/places/cityhall

... weighed in at 7,670 pounds [[3.8 tons) Guess Rita kinda let herself go huh?

Any pics of the OLD Old [[1831) City Hall?

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Originally Posted by jtf1972

Any pics of the OLD Old [[1831) City Hall?

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You bet your sweet ass.
There she is on the right. Not much to look at, but then again, Detroit wasn't much of a city back then:

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/c...g?t=1262726479

Another:
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/c...g?t=1262726545

Put it in the tower of Old Main.

Or replace the fishhead bell in GCP with this one.

I'll bet Karmanos would pay to put it in CM, if someone mentioned it.

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Originally Posted by East Detroit

I'll bet Karmanos would pay to put it in CM, if someone mentioned it.

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I'll bet Ilitch would offer to put a parking lot over its current location on Ft. Wayne.

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Originally Posted by Gistok

PQZ.. I guess once you move away... it's easy to become uninformed... otherwise you would have known that the Henry Ford beat you to the punch...

http://www.hfmgv.org/events/legoExhibit.aspx

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Oh, I see! How neat is that?! The Lego enthusiasts have done it again!

I presume this stylized replica of a castle will somehow prompt the restoration of some Scottish keep?

Cuz it sure the hell ain't helping any bell in Detroit...unless some six year old kid accidentally enjoys other old things while visiting the Lego Castle and 14 years from now decides to "do something" - like getting a degree in urban planning or historic preservation and THEN go save the bell after they get a job in said fields.

Of course there is the danger the six year old will just grow up to be an adult that plays with blocks.

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Originally Posted by buildingsofdetroit

You bet your sweet ass.
There she is on the right. Not much to look at, but then again, Detroit wasn't much of a city back then:

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/c...g?t=1262726479

Another:
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/c...g?t=1262726545

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Thanks! both for the pics & the compliment on my posterior! ;)

The best thing I ever heard about City Hall is that the warped floors led to the common question as to "what was more crooked, the hallways of City Hall or the politicians who walk them?"

I find it interesting that City Hall was torn down by a suburban company [[Union Wrecking of Farmington,) used for suburban interest [[pier in St. Clair Shores) & like many other great Detroit buildings would be replaced by essentially an ugly parking lot. :[[

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Originally Posted by jtf1972

Thanks! both for the pics & the compliment on my posterior! ;)

The best thing I ever heard about City Hall is that the warped floors led to the common question as to "what was more crooked, the hallways of City Hall or the politicians who walk them?"

I find it interesting that City Hall was torn down by a suburban company [[Union Wrecking of Farmington,) used for suburban interest [[pier in St. Clair Shores) & like many other great Detroit buildings would be replaced by essentially an ugly parking lot. :[[

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Huh?

Kennedy Square was not a parking lot, nor is One Kennedy.

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Originally Posted by PQZ

Huh?

Kennedy Square was not a parking lot, nor is One Kennedy.

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A part of Kennedy Square was the underground parking garage, which was cited as "progress."

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Originally Posted by PQZ

Of course there is the danger the six year old will just grow up to be an adult that plays with blocks.

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Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahhaha! That made my day!

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Originally Posted by jtf1972

A part of Kennedy Square was the underground parking garage, which was cited as "progress."

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Right right right right.....my bad.

A civic plaza with fountains that becomes the site of historic speeches and gatherings that happens to have a parking deck underneath it. You can see how at first I did not equate that with "an ugly parking lot". Thanks for setting me straight.

You mean the outdoor urinal that once had a reflecting pool that leaked all over the cars below?

PQZ-

You seem like a pretty well informed person in regard to the preservation attempts made in the City. Although I don't know much about you, aside from your comments on the other preservation themed threads that you've opined on, I can at least say I got a kick out of your pissing conest with Fnemceck [[sp?)!

In any event, yes, we have tried a plethora of methods to raise money for Fort Wayne and the restoration work that we do there. We operate on $20,000 [[2008) to $30, 000 [[2009) per year, ALL of it raised by the events we hold there and the stuff we sell at the store we try to maintain. 100% of the proceeds go to the many projects that we have been able to accomplish, but the amount is paltry compared to the task at hand. The City has actually helped out too, but they are limited on funding and do all they can just to pay the bills for us.

Although our organization has contributed over 8,600 volunteer hours in the last three years, we really need people who say they are interested in helping preserve this vital part of our history to come out in DROVES when we hold events as we make most of our money from tours, sales of books, shirts and hats and tours.

You would know about the shirts and hats if you attended one of our many events.:cool:

By the way, all of our merchandise is available on our website at: www.historicfortwaynecoalition.com.

This years Christmas at the Fort event is a prime example of one of the success of our events. Last year we barely broke even, but this year we DOUBLED our attendance and TRIPLED our profit! A big shout out here to Lamar billboards for their donation of several billboards throughout the City. We couldn't have gotten the word out any other way, and they DONATED the space to our organization! At least THEY seem to understand the budget constraints of some 501[[c) 3 organizations as they don't do this for just anyone!

We are getting better, but we are only 205 people strong and the responsibilities that we already have at the Fort are a bit "overwhelming". Aside from the 43 structures on the extant grounds, we have total responsibility for the upkeep of the Barracks Building and entire interior of the star fort. The bell comes way down on the list to be "saved", with all the structures literally falling down from within. I would be glad to donate some of my time for the construction of a cradle, as I have had plans drawn up for over two years just waiting for someone to take on the task, but I really have my hands full running the projects that we have going on right now, which in my opinion trump the bell for now.

My whole point in posting at all was to perhaps goad someone into taking on the responsibility of forming a group to "save" the thing. It is a piece of our history and deserves a proper cleaning and stabilization to ensure it doesn't literally get eaten alive by the fallout from Zug Island! It could use a proper cradle and a roof overhead to keep the acid rain off. Aside from that, with the thickness of the material and sure weight alone, it should last a couple hundred years beyond today.

Who's stepping up?

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Originally Posted by PlymouthRes

My whole point in posting at all was to perhaps goad someone into taking on the responsibility of forming a group to "save" the thing.

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Who's stepping up?

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PlymouthRes:

Congratulations on the excellent work and effort on shoestring budgets.

Your efforts are to be applauded and should serve as a template for those that wish to gain credibility as "preservationists".

There needs to be a lot more prodding and goading in to real action and real responsibility - which is the aim of my posts about the preservation community in general. The real action and real responsibility is shockingly absent amongst the most vocal.

The question now is whether some of those same folks will answer your challenge - or will they go on organizing bubble blowing rallies?

Good luck on your efforts - and even better luck on expanding the fundraising.

And BTW - Its also refreshing to see a recognition that the City is facing dire budget issues and simply cannot attend to every specific request but muddles through as best it can in a very bad situation.

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Originally Posted by PlymouthRes

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Who's stepping up?

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Should I, as a foreighner with a soft spot for Detroit, write te mayor a letter? Since I was the starter of this mess.... ,
;)

As KC and the Sunshineband said.

That's the way [[ahuh, ahuh) I like it!!

A whole project dedicated to saving the bell. I'm amazed this link wasn't posted before. Look at this artist rendering of the newly restored clock tower of City hall!

http://i47.tinypic.com/34rd1tc.gif
And look at the man figure below, that's how tall it was!

Interesting qoute:

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It [[City Hall) was demolished in 1961 to make way for Campus Matius Park.

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So that was the short lived name before it became Kennedy.

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Originally Posted by Whitehouse

indeed I was using the lliberty bell as an example of how the bell could be displayed. Here in the Netherlands the changing of the year is used to play some michief. There are some famous examples of that. I will post some picturea the coming weekend. One time a full size [[decomissioned) lifeboat was kidnapped with a truck. So with the right equipment it's no problem.

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A kidnap of te bell [[or belnap...) Maybe you should try that. As I said I was going to post some pictures of what happens here every changing of the year. It is custom to do some kind of mischief and bring some local issues of the past year to the fore front with a wink. Provided that the items stolen were not damaged police are mostly not involved with the theft. And usually the return of some items is a news worthy occassion as well.

Here's one of the most ambitions quests ever undertaken. It still staggers the mind on how they did it but it happened.
Here's a picture gallery of the kidnap of Lifeboat Neeltje Jacoba.
http://www.big-andries.nl/images2/neel_2.jpg

Another great caper was the kidnap of a wax figure of Michail Gorbatshov from the Amsterdam branch of Madame Tussaud's museum. in 1991.

A mug with a diameter of 6,5 meters was stolen from the coffee company Douwe Egberts. It turned up in a small Frisian village.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...koffie_kop.JPG

Another great kidnap of the same group that "stole" the lifeboat was the hijack of a monorail train. And no, that was not a model, it was a full size train section!! It stayed in the city of Drachten for months. This particular craft reached a speed of 412,6 km/h in 1987. This is section two of the train. After about 8 years it was dismantled and brought back to Germany. It now resides on a hall next to another Transrapid train, which crashed. A particularly sad event which cost the lives of 23 passengers.
http://de.academic.ru/pictures/dewik...zweeftrein.jpg
Alas, this section fell victim to the grafitti artists. It was later moved to it's place of origin. Section one of this train is displayed in the German Transport museum in Bonn.

So why this information? I hope this is an idea to bring the bell home for a couple of days. Park it at Campus Martius and give people information bout that bell. Most of the people you will encounter might not even have heard of the excistence of the bell. You could even make it a fundraiser. Ring the bell for a a couple of dollars.

Feedback?

i ditto PlymouthRes' requests for more volunteers.
we all have complaints about the way things are done, or the way they turn out, but few of us actually take the next step to try and do something about it

here is the bell when it was sitting closer to the enlisted barracks, circa 2005[[?)