Left to right: John Covolyan Sr. (Carpenter), Keith Benjamin (Trustee), Jim Harmon (Carpenter), Mark Seymour (Crane Operator), Troy Spear (Carpentry 1 Teacher), 
Warren Atha (Coppersmith), Students: Justin Doty, Dylan Perrone, Mike Hannebique, 
Jarrid Damron.
Not pictured: Mike Garritty (All Erection and Crane Company)

May 26, 2007
By Matt Fredmonsky 
Record-Courier staff writer

A combined total of 170 years of history has come down from its perch atop the Franklin Township Town Hall in downtown Kent.

The cupola, which has housed two bells during its lifetime, seemed reluctant to let go of the historic building on Gougler Avenue Friday morning. The old belfry eventually was plucked from the roof and lowered to a waiting dump truck after a few convincing tugs from a rather large boom crane.

A small crowd gathered to watch the action early Friday, including some of the Theodore Roosevelt High School cabinetry students who helped craft the cupola's replacement.

Sophomores Jarrid Damron, Michael Hannebique, Justin Doty and Dylan Petrone, along with senior Cody Hornyak and their instructor Troy Spear made some last-minute preparations for raising the new cupola to its awaiting resting place.

Mike Garritty, from All Direction and Crane Co., donated the use of the crane, which normally would cost $1,000 per day, to the project.

Franklin Township Trustee Keith Benjamin said he researched the history of the cupola as preparations were made to replace it. Benjamin said the exterior of the structure has been renovated, but its metal top and base are approximately 170 years old.

Benjamin found a project analysis of the entire town hall conducted by a student in 1989. Bricks for the hall were fired at the corner of Summit and Water streets by Zenas Kent. Timber for the structure was cut, milled and transported from a site seven miles away in Stow.

Some spectators on scene Friday speculated the cupola would crumble as it was removed. The aging, wood-framed belfry remained intact on its trip down.

The first of two bells was installed in 1841, but cracked. A replacement, manufactured by Meneeleys of West Troy, N.Y., was placed in 1854 and removed in 1985. It is on display in front of the hall.

Benjamin said he expects the new cupola will have a life span of about 50 years. The old cupola will be offered to the Kent Historical Society, and if the society does not want the cupola it will be given to Spears' to use as a fund-raiser for his classes.

Roosevelt students to build new cupola for Franklin Town Hall 
Existing belfry aging and rotten 

May 10, 2007
By Record-Courier staff writer 
Matt Fredmonsky 

The Franklin Town Hall on Gougler Avenue in Kent will get a bit of a facelift later this month when the cupola on top of the 19th Century landmark is removed and replaced with a new one.

On May 25 a boom crane will roll into downtown Kent to remove the aging and rotten belfry and top the Town Hall with a freshly crafted replacement. Students at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Kent constructed the new cupola for the historic building.

Franklin Township Trustee Keith Benjamin, who taught at the high school for 35 years, said he recognized the good things the students have built and, as a trustee, he put the two-and-two together.

"When you get the kids involved, they take pride in what they're doing," Benjamin said. "And the programs are excellent ... so we have no qualms about doing it at all."

Troy Spear, a teacher at the high school, worked with students in his wooden cabinet and construction class to construct a replica of the existing cupola. His classes have worked in the past on projects for the township, including a gazebo and a pavilion at Chase Park on Rhodes Road. The high school's urban forestry classes have also worked with the township on tree projects.

The township funded the cupola project, which cost between $3,000 and $4,000, and the students provided the craftsmanship. The students will sign their names on the inside of the new cupola, and a plaque will also be installed inside to recognize the students and the class for the work.

Benjamin said he expects the new structure to stand for 50 years.

The Franklin Town Hall, finished in 1839, served both as a center of local government and a community center. The belfry has housed two bells and tolled the news of local abolitionist John Brown's death in 1859. Two years later, the ringing bells announced the start of the Civil War in 1861 and in 1881 rang to honor the assassination of President James A. Garfield, who was nominated for his first political office, a seat in the Ohio Senate, there.

The trustees were alerted to the deteriorating condition of the existing cupola about a year ago when the hall was undergoing roof repairs.

Mike Garritty, from the All Direction and Crane Co., is donating the use of the crane, normally worth a rate of $1,000 per day, to the township for the project.

Township Trustee Gary Falstad said the exterior wood and framework are rotting, so the township chose to replace the cupola to maintain the building's historical appearance. 

No plans have been made for the old cupola after it is removed, Fallstad said.

"I suspect the old one will probably be junk," he said.