News

Jun 30, 2023

Worcester City Hall sign historically wrong, city councilor says

WORCESTER — When visitors approach City Hall by its front entrance on Main

WORCESTER — When visitors approach City Hall by its front entrance on Main Street, they encounter prominent "City Hall" signage, leaving them with no doubt that they have found the center of city politics.

According to one city councilor, the sign is inaccurate to the history of the building, which marked its 125th anniversary this year, and stems from a more recent time when Worcester got the Hollywood treatment.

Councilor-at-Large Morris Bergman said the signage was installed sometime around the filming of the 2013 film "American Hustle." The Academy Award-nominated film was set in the 1970s and Worcester got an era-appropriate makeover for the scenes that were shot in the city.

The movie was filmed on Main Street and other locations in Worcester. Storefronts were reworked to have the feel of 1970s establishments. A doughnut shop at Pleasant and Main streets was also given the façade of an off-street betting parlor.

An order submitted by Bergman requested the city manager remove the "recent and historically inaccurate signage" in recognition of the building's 125th anniversary. In addition, Bergman requested the city manager consider installing a solar spotlight to illuminate the marker where Isaiah Thomas read the Declaration of Independence in front of the Old South Church, a church that was once located at the site of City Hall.

The order was sent to City Manager Eric D. Batista's office Tuesday.

Bergman said City Hall had historically not needed a sign as the building was the most prominent in the city.

"History in general, Worcester history in particular, is very important to me, and things should be historically correct," Bergman said. "The signage never existed in front of City Hall and there's no purpose for it because most people either know it's City Hall or don't even use the front door."

Bergman also said the Thomas marker is not a large plaque and can be easy to miss, especially in the winter. The councilor-at-large hopes a solar light can make the marker more prominent to the newer residents who have moved to downtown in recent years.