By: centraljersey.com
BORDENTOWN CITY – The 1888 Old City Hall at 11 Crosswicks Street stands as a historical monument for the community and at 7:30 p.m. Saturday jazz singer Barbara Trent will perform there to help raise money for its restoration.
"She sings everything but the grand opera and I bet you she could teach us a few things about that too," Bob Violette, a resident said.
All of the ticket sales and profits from refreshments will benefit the building’s restoration. Ninety-nine tickets are available for the cabaret style performance.
The Old City Hall was once home to the city’s entire government. The police department, jail cells, fire department, commissioners and clerk were all housed in the building. The building is still home to an old fire engine and old ballot boxes, some of which still contain ballots.
"My grandfather was city clerk going back to the early 1900s," Joe Malone, assemblyman and former Bordentown City mayor said.
The building has been going through numerous renovations over the years and the Old City Hall Restoration Committee is working to bring life back into it.
The attic of the building, home to the Seth Thomas clock, tells a history all on its own because past workers used to paint their names or initials on the rafters in the attic along with the year or date.
Zigmont Targonski , former mayor and current city commissioner, said the Seth Thomas clock has been running since it was installed in the building, except for maybe one summer when the clock faces were restored. The wooden frames around the faces were also updated to prevent water damage and leaking into the tower, which was causing wood deterioration.
"It’s been ticking ever since," he said. "The cables on the clock go to shafts. One shaft goes all the way to the basement and has weights attached to it. If the power goes out, as long as you keep it wound, the clock keeps running."
Still, to this day, someone goes into the clock tower to wind up the clock every few days to keep it running.
"When they closed up here in the late 1950s it was sort of dormant," Mr. Malone said. "When I got into office in ’73 we started working in this building. We did do some renovations and we painted most of the building."
When Mr. Targonski first got into office in the 1980s he began to help restore the building.
"He started to do some work on the building, both through contractors and actually himself," Mr. Malone said. "He was up on scaffolding doing various things."
Mr. Targonski takes his involvement with the restoration seriously and is willing to help as much as possible.
"The city didn’t have money at the time," Mr. Targonski said. "Small towns are always hard pressed so I cleaned up, repaired and painted the gutters. To get up that high and move the scaffolding was labor intensive. Every time you moved to a different area, you had to disassemble the scaffolding down three stories and then put it back up."
Eventually, a grant was received and new gutters were installed. Mr. Targonski is in the process of writing a grant for the fire escape on the back of the building and waiting to hear about the installation of a sprinkler system.
"We are in the process of, I’m not sure exactly where along the line, but bidding out a sprinkler system because it’s the only way we can get clearance from the Department of Human Affairs, the building inspectors, the fire inspectors and all those regulatory guys," he said. "We are looking at the sprinkler system to save the building. A lightening strike could burn this place down. The wood up there (in the attic) is from 1888 and dry as a bone."
It is important for the building to provide a safe environment in order to hold events and generate income to earn money toward its upkeep.
"We’ve had increasing interest from restaurants that would like to cater things here," Jack Sade, co-chairman of the Old City Hall Restoration Committee said. "There is also some interest among local merchants to use the building."
Although the building is currently being restored, events are still being held inside in hopes of raising money for not only the upkeep but also some of the renovations. Mr. Sade stated that a number of restaurants in town have commented on an upsurge in business, especially on nights that there are events. Those working on the building are hoping that weddings, catered events and dinner will bring a large interest to the building and help the community learn of its importance.
According to City Clerk Patricia Ryan, a wedding has already been held in the building.
"I think it was back in April," she said. "The mayor married a young couple who were very interested in history."
Mr. Sade said the community is extremely engaged in the process and that everyone pitches in to help with the work.
"There’s a lot of interest in live entertainment," Mr. Targonski said. "It would be a good thing to have people come to the town, it would be a great thing to be able to use this and even greater, from a public works point of view, to help the building earn a couple of bucks."
Mr. Violette stated that the committee is doing a tremendous job with the restoration efforts.
"We’re bringing it back to what it was originally intended for," Mr. Violette said. "It’s the center of town. Over the years there’s been ebbs and flows in the interest of the building. There’s a very solid community history in the Old City Hall." Mr. Malone is excited to see Old City Hall being restored to a state where the community will be able to utilize it.
"At the first event they held, I actually had tears in my eyes because the ambiance in the room was so tremendous and to see it coming back to life really was a tribute to the whole community," he said.
Mr. Targonski described the town as a "walkable" and that the old buildings bring people in.
"People don’t come here to see high-rises," he said. "People come here to see the old buildings. You can go anywhere and see high-rises."
The community takes pride in the fact that they work so diligently to help preserve the historical aspect of the town.
"This is a community thing because it we don’t do something now this may be lost to future generations in Bordentown," Mr. Malone said. "Bordentown is a town of firsts and we have an obligation to do what we can to make a difference."
Tickets for the Oct. 16 performance are $25 in advance, $30 at the door and available at numerous downtown locations. For further information contact 609-298-4332.

