Old City Hall demolition

[Gistok]

I too lament its' loss... but it was not that large of a building. When I looked at an old Sanford map, I was surprised. It only had about 1/3 of the footprint size of the still standing Old County Building. But Old City Hall was a much older building.

[Michael Hojnacki]

The Beabien family was there when the lead box was opened and apparently there was a story that was passed down from generation to generation that if Old City Hall was ever demolished or the land was used for other than a municipal purpose, the land would revert back to the family and they were hoping that a letter was in there explaining this but nothing was found. And by the 1890s the mayor wanted it demolished for a newer building. For some time the basement was used as a morgue.

[Gistok]

In the 1890s a new City Hall would have been acceptable. That was just after the Columbian Exposition of Chicago [[1892-93) when the Beaux Arts civic architectural style was all the rage.

[Michael Hojnacki]

Beaux Arts, perhaps they were thinking in that direction.