Stratford City Hall | |
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General information | |
Type | City hall |
Architectural style | Jacobean/ Queen Anne Revival |
Town or city | Stratford, Ontario |
Country | Canada |
Coordinates | 43°22′11.9274″N 80°58′55.9554″W / 43.369979833°N 80.982209833°W |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | George W. King, John Wilson Siddall |
Official name | Stratford City Hall National Historic Site of Canada |
Designated | 6 November 1976 |
Stratford City Hall is the city hall of Stratford, Ontario, and a National Historic Site of Canada. It sits amidst the city's business district, on a triangular town square.
The original town hall was built in 1856 and incorporated space for market stalls and other stores, in addition to providing space for a concert hall, police station, fire department, and council chambers. The building was destroyed by fire in 1897.
A competition was held for the design of a new city hall, with two winners announced, one incorporating the remains of the previous structure, one for a wholly new building. The latter was selected, and was completed in 1900. The building was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1976.
In 1856, the village of Stratford began building a town hall at the tip of a property it had purchased. [1] The stipulation imposed by Donald McDonald for the sale was the development of a market on the land, so the building's ground floor was allocated for business market stalls. [1]
The Neoclassical building consisted of two floors topped by a cupola and bell tower. [1] The ground floor had market stalls at the rear, and four stores at the front with a central entrance opening to a stairway leading to the upper floor. [1] These stores had cellars, and in 1864 one housed a brewery. [1] Behind them were a police station and a fire department; the latter moved to another location in 1893. [1] Above the market stalls was a concert hall, and the upper floor of the front of the building housed the council chamber and municipal offices. [1]
A night constable making his rounds in the early morning of 24 November 1897 discovered a fire. [1] He released the prisoners from their cells and raised the fire alarm. [1] The fire was exacerbated by the ignition of gas in a custodial room, and it eventually destroyed the building. [1]
The city held two design competitions for a new city hall. [1] The competition reusing the remains of the older structure was won by Alexander Hepburn, a local architect, and the design for a new building was won by George W. King of Toronto. [1] The town held a referendum to determine the final design, which was awarded to King and his associate John Wilson Siddall. [1] [2] They hired local contractors Edmund Cawsey and John Lant Young to erect the building. [3] On 2 November 1898, the foundation stone was installed, [1] and in 1900 the building was opened. [3] It is located on a triangular town square. [4]
In March 2016, the city held an open house displaying three proposals to redevelop the land behind the building. [5] The committee selected a proposal by GSP Group, which was approved later at the end of March, and construction began in December 2016. [6]
Built in the " Jacobean end" of the Queen Anne Revival style, [2] the building exhibits an eclectic combination of features, including gables in Flemish Renaissance style, a classical cupola, and panelled chimneys. [1] Each end of the building has a dodecagonal base, the central portion a hexagon, and the clock tower a circle. [1] A restoration completed in 1974 updated the auditorium and increased office space. [1]
The exterior brickwork is a dark red, and was the third choice for the building. [2] The architects had planned on using a buff-coloured brick, and city councillors preferred the pale colour of the original town hall. [2] The red was chosen after a local brickyard over-fired its white bricks. [2] The trim is in sandstone, and the large plinth is limestone. [3]
The main entrance is flanked by two terracotta seals, one depicting a train symbolizing industry, and the other depicting a beehive symbolizing enterprise, [2] mounted in pilasters. [3] Above the door is a semi-circular arch window framed by a banded voussoir. [3]
The building was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada on 6 November 1976, [4] and in 1982, it was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act. [1]
The building was used on the cover of a book about Canadian town halls published by Parks Canada. [1] It was described by architect Robert Fairfield, who designed the Stratford Festival Theatre, [7] as a "splendid municipal building". [8]
A proposal to demolish the building and replace it with a ten-storey hotel surmounted by a revolving restaurant was made by the city's mayor C.H. Meier in 1967. [9] City council agreed to demolish the building in 1969, but received a petition from the newly formed "Save the City Hall League" to retain it. [10] By 1972, the plans for the hotel were withdrawn. [10] Some members of "Save the City Hall League" would go on to form Heritage Stratford, the city's heritage committee. [10]
In 2015, a local filmmaker proposed upgrading the auditorium for use as a digital art cinema. [11]
Stratford City Hall | |
---|---|
![]() | |
| |
General information | |
Type | City hall |
Architectural style | Jacobean/ Queen Anne Revival |
Town or city | Stratford, Ontario |
Country | Canada |
Coordinates | 43°22′11.9274″N 80°58′55.9554″W / 43.369979833°N 80.982209833°W |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | George W. King, John Wilson Siddall |
Official name | Stratford City Hall National Historic Site of Canada |
Designated | 6 November 1976 |
Stratford City Hall is the city hall of Stratford, Ontario, and a National Historic Site of Canada. It sits amidst the city's business district, on a triangular town square.
The original town hall was built in 1856 and incorporated space for market stalls and other stores, in addition to providing space for a concert hall, police station, fire department, and council chambers. The building was destroyed by fire in 1897.
A competition was held for the design of a new city hall, with two winners announced, one incorporating the remains of the previous structure, one for a wholly new building. The latter was selected, and was completed in 1900. The building was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1976.
In 1856, the village of Stratford began building a town hall at the tip of a property it had purchased. [1] The stipulation imposed by Donald McDonald for the sale was the development of a market on the land, so the building's ground floor was allocated for business market stalls. [1]
The Neoclassical building consisted of two floors topped by a cupola and bell tower. [1] The ground floor had market stalls at the rear, and four stores at the front with a central entrance opening to a stairway leading to the upper floor. [1] These stores had cellars, and in 1864 one housed a brewery. [1] Behind them were a police station and a fire department; the latter moved to another location in 1893. [1] Above the market stalls was a concert hall, and the upper floor of the front of the building housed the council chamber and municipal offices. [1]
A night constable making his rounds in the early morning of 24 November 1897 discovered a fire. [1] He released the prisoners from their cells and raised the fire alarm. [1] The fire was exacerbated by the ignition of gas in a custodial room, and it eventually destroyed the building. [1]
The city held two design competitions for a new city hall. [1] The competition reusing the remains of the older structure was won by Alexander Hepburn, a local architect, and the design for a new building was won by George W. King of Toronto. [1] The town held a referendum to determine the final design, which was awarded to King and his associate John Wilson Siddall. [1] [2] They hired local contractors Edmund Cawsey and John Lant Young to erect the building. [3] On 2 November 1898, the foundation stone was installed, [1] and in 1900 the building was opened. [3] It is located on a triangular town square. [4]
In March 2016, the city held an open house displaying three proposals to redevelop the land behind the building. [5] The committee selected a proposal by GSP Group, which was approved later at the end of March, and construction began in December 2016. [6]
Built in the " Jacobean end" of the Queen Anne Revival style, [2] the building exhibits an eclectic combination of features, including gables in Flemish Renaissance style, a classical cupola, and panelled chimneys. [1] Each end of the building has a dodecagonal base, the central portion a hexagon, and the clock tower a circle. [1] A restoration completed in 1974 updated the auditorium and increased office space. [1]
The exterior brickwork is a dark red, and was the third choice for the building. [2] The architects had planned on using a buff-coloured brick, and city councillors preferred the pale colour of the original town hall. [2] The red was chosen after a local brickyard over-fired its white bricks. [2] The trim is in sandstone, and the large plinth is limestone. [3]
The main entrance is flanked by two terracotta seals, one depicting a train symbolizing industry, and the other depicting a beehive symbolizing enterprise, [2] mounted in pilasters. [3] Above the door is a semi-circular arch window framed by a banded voussoir. [3]
The building was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada on 6 November 1976, [4] and in 1982, it was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act. [1]
The building was used on the cover of a book about Canadian town halls published by Parks Canada. [1] It was described by architect Robert Fairfield, who designed the Stratford Festival Theatre, [7] as a "splendid municipal building". [8]
A proposal to demolish the building and replace it with a ten-storey hotel surmounted by a revolving restaurant was made by the city's mayor C.H. Meier in 1967. [9] City council agreed to demolish the building in 1969, but received a petition from the newly formed "Save the City Hall League" to retain it. [10] By 1972, the plans for the hotel were withdrawn. [10] Some members of "Save the City Hall League" would go on to form Heritage Stratford, the city's heritage committee. [10]
In 2015, a local filmmaker proposed upgrading the auditorium for use as a digital art cinema. [11]