The restored Biddeford City Hall Clock Tower is a testament to the pride and commitment of the city’s residents and leaders who persisted and ensured the historic center of civic life and municipal services would endure for future generations.
Biddeford’s original city hall was lost to a catastrophic fire on New Years Day in 1895. Architect John Calvin Stevens was commissioned to design its replacement. Using primarily brick and granite, Stevens executed the building in the Renaissance Revival style. The new 135-foot clock tower was outfitted with a cast bronze bell from the Black Bell Foundry Co. of Boston, while the gilded copper dome shined over the city. Along with housing the police department and municipal offices, the building has boasted the City Theater, York County Savings Bank, and a variety of stores and businesses over the last 130 years.
For decades, cosmetic repairs were prioritized over substantive maintenance. Weathering and water intrusion left the tower in severe disrepair. In 2007, a temporary wood frame was needed to support the bell after the original rotted through and a rubber membrane was added underneath to halt leaks. Time was quite literally running out–the clock was inoperable. Exterior balusters were removed after pieces fell onto the street, and the windows and wood paneling had failed. The copper on the dome was worn and the gilding dull.
The weathered tower stuck out like a sore thumb as reinvestment in downtown transformed former mill buildings, attracted new restaurants and shops, and welcomed more visitors. Pressure was mounting for City Hall to set a better example. City leaders put the question of funding repairs to the voters in three separate referenda in 2007, 2012, and 2015.
To strengthen their case, advocates successfully nominated the tower to our 2014 list of Most Endangered Historic Places. Then the city’s main street organization, Heart of Biddeford, entered and won a contest through the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express which resulted in a $150,000 grant. The funds paid for Balzer Family Clock Works to fix the clock mechanism, its four dials, and fabricate new hands of redwood and gold-leaf. With the boost of morale, voters approved a $3.75 million bond to support repairs to the clock tower and other city facilities two years later.
Artifex Architects & Engineers brought their preservation expertise to the project, with Colby Company serving as project engineer and Ducas Construction as the construction manager. The project scope stretched from the street to the sky and relied on the original blueprints. Gorham-based carpenter Tim Hill rebuilt the Main Street storefronts, and historically accurate wood windows were returned to the tower. Composite replicas of the capitals, pilasters, trim, and balustrades were chosen near the top of the tower given the significant loss of historic fabric and distance from the ground. Waterboro-based Heritage Co. replaced the copper and gilding on the dome and replicated the weathervane.
Special recognition goes to the city’s long-time Director of Facilities, Philip Radding, who came out of retirement to serve as project manager. Radding had closely monitored the building for over a decade and continuously sought community buy-in and funding.
The project was completed in 2024, a striking moment for both the skyline and the rebirth of downtown Biddeford.
Project Participants:
City of Biddeford
Artifex Architects & Engineers
Colby Company
Ducas Construction
Heart of Biddeford
Jacobs Glass
The Heritage Co.
Balzer Family Clock Works
Masonry Preservation Associates
Tim Hill Fine Woodworking & Design Co.
Creative Glass Systems
Photo Credits: Heart of Biddeford, Artifex A&E, Balzer Family Clock Works, City of Biddeford, DLM Media, McArthur Public Library, Maine Historical Society, Phillip Radding
