Alton City Hall
ALTON CITY HALL DESTROYED BY FIRE
April 22, 1924
In the early morning hours of April 22, 1924, the Alton city
hall, located at the current Lincoln-Douglas Square at Broadway and
Piasa Streets in downtown Alton, was destroyed by fire. The city
hall was constructed in 1858, and although not yet fully completed
until 1874, the Lincoln-Douglas debate took place there in October
1858. In 1907 a clock tower was added to the building, which housed
the clock from the old First Baptist Church, which had been torn
down. Besides offices for the mayor and city clerk, the city hall
was home to Alton’s police and fire department, the post office, an
auditorium for community gatherings, pageants, and plays, as well as
offices for the justices of the peace and court officers. The Alton
city jail was located in the basement of the building.
In 1914, efforts began to replace the building with a more spacious
facility. A bond issued was placed on the ballot in November, but
was defeated. The building was deteriorating, and many wanted to
replace it, but the opposing side wanted to repair it and keep it as
a historical interest. In 1921, a third attempt was made to pass a
bond issue, but was defeated once again. It was decided to remodel
the building. Arrangements were made to temporarily house the city
offices at the Spalding Club building on Belle Street. The last
council meeting was held in the old city hall on April 3, 1924, and
records were transferred to the Spalding Club building.
At 3 a.m. on April 22, 1924, fire was discovered on the northwest
corner of the top floor of the city hall, and the alarm was given.
Two fire companies responded. When the fireman arrived, the dome was
just about to cave in,
and the north end of the roof collapsed. The flames were shooting
high, driven by a strong north wind. The fireman fought to prevent
the fire from spreading to nearby property. Fire Chief Feldwisch had
only eight men, and was unable to hire any of the men who were
standing watching the flames. No one was willing to join in the
fight against the flames. During the fire, hundreds of pigeons were
driven from their roost in the cupola of the city hall. They soared
above, trying to return to their roost, but quickly rose again.
Those standing nearby smelled the odor of burning oil, and there was
a general belief that the city hall had been set on fire on purpose.
The second floor quickly caught fire, and there was little chance of
stopping it. By 5:30 a.m., there was nothing left to burn, and by 10
a.m. the firemen withdrew.
An insurance inspector examined the building after the fire, and
stated he was not sorry to be relieved of the burden of insuring the
building. He pointed to the sagging brick walls, due to settlement
over the Piasa sewer at the southeast corner. The building was
infested with rats, cockroaches, and various insects, but many Alton
citizens wanted to preserve the building for its historic
connections. This fire, however, took care of the question as to
whether or not to save it. Some of the more famous speakers at the
Alton City Hall included Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Douglas, Millard
Fillmore, General Ulysses S. Grant, and William Seward.
A new city hall and police station was constructed and opened in
1928, at the southeast corner of E. 3rd and Alby Streets. This
building is still used as the city hall, although a new police
station was constructed at Broadway and Washington Avenue.
