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Overcast Historic bell at Sea Cliff Fire Department to be restored
Project will cap seven years of renovations to S.C. firehouse
For nearly 100 years, the Sea Cliff’s Fire Department served and protected the community from its historic firehouse in the heart of the village. And now, after several years of renovations and restoration, the firehouse will soon be as good as new, with just one project left to complete: the repair of the building’s iconic bell.
Originally constructed in 1932, the firehouse is one of the most iconic buildings in the village, registered as an historic landmark at the local, state and national levels. With its wood-paneled truck doors and slate roof, it has served as the home for the Sea Cliff Fire Department since its construction.
For the last seven years, the firehouse has seen a series of renovations undertaken to maintain the historical aspects of the building. These have included everything from repairing the original windows to renovating bathrooms.
The building’s bell, bell tower and clock are the final items on the list, according to Sea Cliff Fire Chief James Ajamien. He added that the bell has been non-functional since he first joined the department in the 1980s, and that its repair will be the culmination of the restoration efforts.
“This is the cherry on top of all of the hard work that we put into the building,” Ajamien explained. “So we’re looking for funds, seeing if people want to donate and reaching out to some of the politicians.”
The work on the bell is especially important since it was recently discovered that the bell, which was created in 1833, was made by Henry Hooper, a manufacturer and merchant of bells, chimes, decorative lighting and artillery. While Hooper’s name might not be universally known, the name of the master who trained him certainly is — Paul Revere.
Nick Pinto, village trustee and the village board’s liaison with the Fire Department, said the news that the bell was created by a protégé of the famous Revolutionary War era silversmith was incredibly interesting, especially since it tied the village to such an integral period of American history. He also emphasized that even without knowing the heritage, it was still important to him and the village board that the bell be repaired, due to the firehouse’s revered place in Sea Cliff.
“As one of the oldest structures in Sea Cliff, it’s important to preserve our history and our legacy,” Pinto added. “We have some families in Sea Cliff that have been involved in the fire department for three generations, and it really is a symbol of the best of Sea Cliff.”
Ajamien said estimates that the Fire Department received when the bell was examined, the cost of the repairs will vary between $40,000 and $50,000. This also includes the cost of modernizing the pulley system to make the bell ring, which will be replaced with an electronic system.
Erinn McDonnell, Sea Cliff’s grants administrator and great-granddaughter of one of the fire council members who helped get the firehouse constructed, explained that grant funding for the project will be sought from the state Assembly and state Senate. While the timeline for the restoration is still in flux, she added that the renovations could start next summer.
“We’d also like to do fundraising locally, to help match any grants that we might get, or if we can’t get a full grant,” McDonnell said. “We put a lot of time and effort into making sure we get another 100 years out of this building.”
While the project still has a way to go, Ajamien and the others are optimistic about it, and emphasize the project benefits not just the department, but the entire village. The restoration of the building will allow it to continue to serve as a link to Sea Cliff’s history and ensure that future generations of villagers can not only count on a state-of-the-art fire department, but one with a history and beauty that is uniquely Sea Cliff.
Sea Cliff Mayor Elena Villafane added that she and the rest of the board fully support the restoration efforts, while at the same time they want to make sure that the cost does not impact residents or Sea Cliff’s budget. She added that the bell project would complete the years of work spent in ensuring that the firehouse continues to serve the community without compromising its historic significance.
“We have, with the Fire Department’s leadership, just completed a multi-year tune-up, if you will of the building,” Villafane said. “The bell is really incredibly historically accurate to the time and place, and so we want to do what we can to get it operational again.”
