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*City officials to dedicate the plaque on Delaware City Founders Day. . . .*
Old City Hall and Opera House

	Friday, May 9th Activities Begin at 10:00 a.m. near the Sulphur Spring at Ohio Wesleyan University Followed by Plaque Unveiling at corner of William and Sandusky Streets
The old city hall opened in 1882. Its clock tower rose to a height of 92 feet. The first floor housed administrative offices, the police department, the jail, and the fire department. A 1,050 seat auditorium known as the Opera House graced the second floor. It was the city’s social center for graduations and theatrical productions. Here, also, John Philip Sousa led his band in “Stars and Stripes Forever”. Other celebrities who appeared here included Mark Twain, William McKinley, Carrie Nation, William Jennings Bryan, Vincente Minnelli, General Lew Wallace, and Henry Ward Beecher.
		On a frigid winter night, February 24, 1934, the structure was destroyed by a fire. Exactly three years later, on February 24, 1937, the current City Hall was dedicated and opened after costing $95,000 to build.

See Pictures of the Event Return to Calendar Return to Events			(05/12/2008)