During construction , the clocktower was bombed by anarchist Ortie McManigle , the same culprit as the Los Angeles Times bombing . However , the thick walls were not disturbed by the truck bomb . Completed in 1913 , Former Mayor John A. Denison and President William Howard Taft officiated the opening ceremonies . On December 8 , 1913 , as Taft dedicated the Springfield Municipal Group as " one of the most distinctive civic centers in the United States , and indeed the world . " Over the years , the Municipal Group came to represent the city itself as its most identifiable landmark . Following the end of each of the World Wars , the carillon of bells tolled before jubilant crowds . Due to a legal height restriction in Springfield imposed by the Massachusetts State Legislature in 1908 , the Campanile remained the tallest structure in the city until 1973 when Bay State West ( now called Tower Square ) was built . Its views would remain largely unobstructed until the construction of Monarch Place in 1987
Los Angeles Times bombing
Los Angeles Times bombing
Springfield Municipal Group