Sewickley Town Hall

One strong square shaft pointed upward and graced with a decorated bell tower is the principal feature of Sewickley's seat of local government. After a year in construction, it was in March of 1910 that elegant invitations were sent out to attend the opening of the borough's new Municipal Building.

If the design lacks a perfect balance to the beholder, certainly that beholder is discerning. The design credited to C. W. Bier is actually a modification of earlier plans drawn by Sewickley architect Elmer E. Miller. Miller was the designer of the grand and now fondly remembered Yellow Brick School that once dominated Broad Street. That grand edifice, dedicated in 1894, also featured a strong square tower.

Miller's proposal drawing for the town hall shows two shafts each with a bell tower. Without spending time digging into minutes of borough council, one has to assume downsizing was necessary for financial reasons. Meantime, Architect Miller had died.

Behind the red brick façade, ceilings are high and the rooms commodious. This large building, completely renovated in 1984, houses all the functions of local government, a jail and quarters for the fire department.

- B.G.Y.S.