Banner Daily Update posted Thurs. July 26 (slideshow)
By Elsa Allen Banner Correspondent
Cheers rose up from the corner of Commercial and Center Street just before 11 a.m. this morning as the long dormant library belfry swung easily onto its perch atop the huge white building, adding what many bystanders felt was a sense of completion to the Provincetown skyline.
After sitting on the ground, undergoing repairs for several years, it took two cranes and a small crew of workers from Winkler Construction to raise the belfry into place. Work began at 5 a.m. and appeared to go off without a hitch. A large crowd of onlookers, some of whom arrived as early as 4 a.m. to secure the perfect vantage point, broke out into several rounds of applause as the cranes moved, lifted counterweights, brought workers to the rooftop and, eventually lifted the freshly painted belfry.
“It’s very historic and exciting to have the belltower back on our building,” said Selectman Lynne Davies as she watched the effort alongside friends, locals and visitors alike. “Everyone has worked so hard to bring us to this point, the least we can do is help them celebrate.”
The section of Commercial Street between Johnson Street and Center Street was blocked off for the duration of the morning to allow the mammoth cranes to do their jobs and bystanders were kept at bay by yellow and red caution tape. The street closure seemed to cause little disruption and traffic snarls were kept to a minimum, thanks to the assistance of several police officers dispatched to the scene.
The raising of the belfry is just one more completed element in the ongoing restoration of the building formerly owned by Walter Chrysler and once home to the Provincetown Heritage Museum. The location was chosen by voters at Town Meeting to house the public library in 2002 and since then work on the building has been underway. The library opened its doors to the public in 2005 with the interior complete. Exterior construction continues, with the raising of the belfry marking a major turning point in the progress of the project.
This slideshow will be updated with additional photos later this week and a video will be posted as soon as available.
Jul 26th, 2007
