The cupola top on the gazebo was originally on the former City Hall at 112 South Piedmont Avenue, which housed City Administration, the Police Department, and Fire Department. Built in an era before air conditioning, the cupola sat at the top center of the building to remove summer heat, with vents, a 3-foot-wide walkway with a railing along the outside edge, and circular stairs inside for access to the vents. During World War II, when citizens feared attack or invasion, the cupola served as an observation point for the Corp of Observers as part of the Air Defense Force to spot aircraft, and it continued in that role in this area until the mid-1950's during the cold war under the call sign Juliet Foxtrot Three One Black. When the old City Hall was to be demolished, full-time and volunteer firemen removed the fully intact cupola, stored it at the Fire Museum, and later placed it atop the gazebo in remembrance of the City's efforts in the war.