The City of Warren is preparing for the Diamond Anniversary of its Municipal Building.
The building at the northeast corner of Hickory Street and Third Avenue was dedicated on May 3, 1937.
At that time, it replaced a 70-year-old structure on the southeast corner of the same intersection.
Article Photos
The property was acquired from the School District of Warren Borough on July 31, 1936, for the sum of $20,000, according to a copy of the deed.
The town council and Burgess (Mayor) Raymond W. Steber approved the purchase.
Historical documents provided by City Planner David Hildebrand show the general contractor for the construction was E.L. Van Sickle of Bradford and the architect was Lowrie & Green of Harrisburg.
The total cost of the project was $119,274 with construction taking $92,307 of that.
The Borough of Warren was awarded a Federal Public Works Administration Grant of $52,560, according to the minutes of a 1936 borough council meeting.
"This structure replaces a municipal building which was 70 years old, which had been remodeled several times, and had passed the point of economic usefulness," a historic document said. "The plan is H-shaped, 137 by 101 feet over all."
Construction was completed in January 1937.
The interior of the building has changed somewhat since construction. When it was built, the two-story structure did not have the elevator it features today. That upgrade was put in during a 1980 renovation, according to Hildebrand.
The burgess' office was located just inside the front door, to the left. The secretary's office was to the right. Most of the northern side of the first floor was occupied by jail cells. A sergeant's office - the chief of police at the time was George F. Haehn - and hearing room were among the spaces in the eastern wing. The engineer's office, a drafting room and health office occupied the west wing. A garage was attached at the northwest corner of the building.
According to the document, there was a pistol range in the basement and "a dormitory for transients."
"The exterior walls are faced with sand-finished handmade red brick with limestone trim except that the cornices and cupola are wood," according to the document.
It is described in another document as "an attractive American Colonial style."
The city fire department building next door was built to match in 1980, Hildebrand said.
City officials have applied for a $25,000 Keystone Historic Preservation Grant that would provide half of the funding needed to give the municipal building's bricks a makeover - cleaning and repointing.
A banner will be hung from the building announcing the celebration, Assistant City Manager Mary Ann Nau said.