April 11, 1997
"Old Bell in the Village Regains Its Voice"
"Ol ' Jeff is a majestic bell. It has its own door on 10th Street and stands atop a combination of 75 cement steps, 75 more that belong to a spiral staircase, and then two steep ladders. Twice as large as the Liberty Bell, but half the size of Big Ben, Ol' Jeff measures six feet in height, almost seven feet in diameter. . .The bell has enhanced Villagers' sense of community helping to put the concept of village back in Greenwich Village; it serves as a powerful, an hourly, reminder of the values of architectural preservation. . . Ol' Jeff evokes memories of childhood for people who grew up in small towns, where a ringing bell was a beloved fixture of village days. . . It connects New York to Europe, where bells have been a call to community for hundreds of years and has newly and unexpectedly connected the community surrounding the building on Avenue of the Americas at 10th Street.
It remains one of the finest things that has happened to the Village since the Courthouse itself was saved."
|