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Streetscape crews hitting the bricks
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Times photo: Brenda Steurer The salvageable bricks that were part of a cache of pavers found Wednesday during downtown Square reconstruction are available souvenirs for the taking. The bricks, believed to be from the street in front of the old city hall, are piled up in the Monroe Middle School parking lot.
MONROE - More than a hundred old pavers were unearthed during reconstruction of the downtown Square area Wednesday, and are being made available as souvenirs to residents.

Monroe Main Street Director Barb Nelson said construction crews have been running across old bricks since the project started in early June, but Wednesday's find was "a whole cache" of about 120 pavers, which were part of the street in front of the original city hall.

"It was where the old city hall used to be, in the northwest corner of Spring Square parking lot," she said.

Spring Square is one block south of the courthouse on 16th Avenue.

According to the Pictorial History of Monroe, published by the Green County Historical Society, a fire station was built for $3,000 in 1884 in that location. The two-story brick building had a hose and a belltower, and also served as the police station and as city hall.

The Green County Historical Society offered to lease the building in 1965 for $1 a year for its collection, but the city declined the offer.

The building was torn down in 1967 after the current city hall was built.

According to City Clerk Carol Stamm, the city's fire and police departments moved into the new building at 1110 18th Ave. in September 1965 and city hall departments moved in on Oct. 21, 1965.

Nelson said the paver bricks have been left relatively untouched since 1889, and the last concrete construction work that covered up the area was about 60 years ago.

A 1889 photo of the pavers being installed is on display at the Garden Deli on 11th Street, courtesy of Dalton Studios.

One load of pavers has been moved across 16th Street to the Monroe Middle School parking lot, where residents may pick up a piece of Monroe history for free.