The history of the cupola goes back many years, when the only material used to build homes was wood and possibly brick as well. It stands to reason that cupolas throughout the years have needed to be restored to their former glory, especially with many North American buildings having been erected hundreds of years ago. That’s why when I discuss cupolas in this blog, it is usually to discuss the restoration of a town’s courthouse cupola or the importance of doing so. This week, the topic is a little different – seeing as one town isn’t restoring a cupola in the traditional way.

A story on NorthJersey.com reports that an 80-year-old cupola in Teaneck, New Jersey, is being replaced with a plastic version. Needless to say, many residents are not happy about this development. Strangely enough, this decision was made by the Township Manager:

“A blue tarp is in place of what was once a wooden cupola that stood on the roof of the Municipal Building for 80 years and soon will be replaced with a synthetic one. Former Mayor Eleanor Kieliszek, who in 1970 became the first woman elected to the council and who served two separate terms as mayor, made a rare appearance at a council meeting Sept. 13. After discovering what happened to the cupola, she said, she examined the plans for renovating the old police building.”

The article says that many other residents attended this meeting to express issues with the removal and replacement of the historical cupola. However, the Township Manager Thomas Broughton made the argument against continuing the restoration of such a piece of architecture:

“Broughton defended his decision to replace the cupola with a plastic model. He said that the cupola had been costly to paint and that the wood was loose and rotted. The new cupola, which he said is made from plastic and fiberglass, can be easily cleaned every few years.”

As you know, vinyl cupolas are excellent when it comes to withstanding weather and also are easy to clean, but do you think they should replace wooden cupolas? Maybe Broughton has a point in this tough economy, but I think the old cupola should be kept until the town fully reaches some kind of agreement.