Ever wonder about the cupolas on the Carleton Place Town Hall? Yes, those beautiful spherical cup shaped roofs that just enhance the structure of our beautiful town hall were nothing but trouble to the town and the builder.
In 1897 our town fathers became embroiled in a law suit for $3,000 over those cupolas. There seem to be different versions of the story, each just a tad different than the other.
Mr. Willoughby, the builder, billed the town of Carleton Place for an extra $3,000 which was more than the original agreed upon price. He had decided to add those cupolas of his own accord without mentioning it to anyone, but he still felt the town of Carleton Place should pay for it.
Now here is it where it seems to get cloudy. One newspaper reported that Willoughby took the matter to the Supreme Court. The next story was he simply took the council to a local court. It doesn’t matter which story you believe because Wiloughby lost in the end as the town council had not asked for the cupolas.
My question is: Don’t you think they would have noticed those cupolas being added and put a stop to it? I am sure this did not happen with a flick of a wand overnight. Another odd story from the Carleton Place files.
Files from the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum
The Ottawa Journal, 23 Jan 1900, Tue, Page 7
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