Nearly 80 years have gone by, but Newtown benefactress Mary Hawley would immediately recognize the Alexandria Room today. For the last two months, the celebrated Edmond Town Hall ballroom has been completely refurbished, to upgrade a “worn” look and to restore its historic beauty. The room is fast-becoming a favorite rental for weddings and special events.

circa 1930	2009

The work was completed with a $26,000 state grant for local capital improvements. The grant was endorsed by First Selectmen Joe Borst and processing was assisted by the Town’s Board of Finance staff. Clark Kathan, Facilities Manager for the Board of Managers, was project manager.

“The Alexandria Room was beginning to look shabby. We were functioning with less than half of the original electric outlets, and the sconces have not been operational for years,” said Jane Sharpe, VP of the Mary Hawley Society, who applied for the grant.

		The entire room has now been re-wired and brought up to date by workers from Family Electric, based in Bethel. Just a year ago, Family Electric spent many hours on the second floor of the Town Hall installing the electric system for the ballroom’s adjoining kitchen.  Overhead, the tarnished and broken brass chandeliers were re-wired by American Pride, a Bethel firm, and the sconces and chandeliers have new brass plating. Aspen Polishing and Plating, a specialty firm in Ridgefield, did these and the baseboard heating grates – which are also in brass. Kesco Electric re-assembled and installed the completely refurbished fixtures.
Before	After

The original wide-plank oak floors were sanded to bare wood and refinished by Mathison Floors on South Main Street, Newtown. “We only needed to match and replace a couple boards,” according to Tricia Mathison Benvenuti, co-owner of Mathison Floors. “The wood took a light stain, nicely, and there are several coats of polyurethane to give it a gentle sheen.”

Painting by T.R. Saint of Sandy Hook was completed in two tones, plus the tan-tinted ceiling. Colors were chosen from the Benjamin Moore historic group, in complementary tones called Manchester Tan and Greenbrier Beige. Depending on the room’s lighting, they create a light putty-tan ambiance which sets off the medium-toned floors. The Mary Hawley Society is presently focused on replacing the swags and draperies for the room’s high arched windows. Mary Fellows, a member of the Edmond Town Hall board of Managers, is arranging for their design and fabrication. The windows will also have black-out shades.