Fonds - City of Kitchener - City Hall fonds

• Textual record
• Multiple media

126 cm of textual records
104 cm of photographs
1 artifact

Over the course of the last two centuries, Berlin/Kitchener has had several municipal buildings ranging from the Town Hall erected in 1869, to the classical design of city hall erected in 1924, to the rented space in an office building and to the contemporary lines of the present city hall.

The Town Hall was built in 1869 and it housed the market vendors in the basement of the building as well as having the council chamber also serve as the magistrate’s courtroom. A few years after the building was built, a separate building was erected to house the market.

The first city hall was designed in a Neo-classic architectural form by the first mayor of the City of Berlin, William H. Schmalz. It was on the block bound by King, Frederick, Duke and Scott streets. In November 1924, Lieutenant Governor Cockshutt officially opened the City Hall. The building was praised as one of the finest structures of its kind in Ontario. The City Hall faced King Street and it was a 3 storey porticoed building topped with a clock tower. The Farmer’s Market was located in a building in the rear of the City Hall. All city departments were housed in this building until it reached its life expectancy of 50 years and the rooms became too small and antiquated. It was decided amid much controversy, to tear it down. During the demolition, the clock tower portion of the building was saved to be used later and was stored until it was erected again at the entrance to Victoria Park.

The City received a proposal from Oxlea Investments Ltd. to replace the city hall and market with the Market Square shopping mall and office tower. It was suggested that the City would be able to rent office space in the tower. This proposal appeared to be the answer to the numerous difficulties that were being encountered in the decades-old city hall, which included overcrowding and lack of accessibility among others. A referendum was held in which the public was asked whether the existing city hall should be demolished and a shopping centre and office tower erected in its place. The community agreed to this action by a narrow margin of 55%. For 20 years the all city departments were in the rented space of the Oxlea office building.

In 1987 a downtown revitalization plan proposed the construction of a new city hall with the intention that it would provide a much-needed focal point for the downtown area. A committee was subsequently formed in May 1987, which was responsible for determining the space requirements for the new city hall, recommending a suitable location, preparing a project schedule, and recommending the method of architectural selection. In 1988 city council gave its approval for the construction of a new city hall on the block of King, Young, Duke and College streets. There were several reasons why this site was chosen. Historically, the city hall had always been located on King Street and it was decided that this tradition should be continued. It was also determined that revitalization was needed in the west end of downtown and the city hall would provide this stimulus. In addition, the site was in alignment with Gaukel Street and Victoria Park, a focal point of the core area and construction on this block would not necessitate the demolition of significant heritage or industrial buildings. In May 1988 Council decided to run a national two-stage architectural competition which would generate a maximum number of designs for the new city hall. Nearly one and a half years later, in November 1989, the winning design was selected; the Toronto firm of Kuwabara, Payne McKenna, Blumburg was chosen out of the 153 design submitted. Although construction of the new city hall did not require the destruction of heritage buildings, there were however, 22 businesses and 70 tenants that had to be moved. In the spring of 1988 the displaced tenants appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board to stop the city hall plan. The Board ruled that the plan could continue and that the City had to find alternative accommodation for the tenants. In June 1991 construction on the new city hall commenced and it was completed in August 1993 at a cost of $65.1 million. The citizens of Kitchener were invited to view their new city hall in the grand opening ceremony that was held on September 18 1993, during a 3 day celebration.

The present City Hall has a civic square facing King Street complete with a reflecting pool with fountains which during the winter months becomes a skating rink. It is oriented toward King St. and is designed to become a place where public events will be held. The building’s front is U-shaped with two three-storey wings with the main building at the back of the square. The west wing is called the Ebytown Wing and the east wing is called the Sandhills Wing. The central, open rotunda defines the indoor public space and to the west is the council chamber and to the east is the office tower named the Berlin Tower. At the rear of the building, off the Duke Street entrance, there is the north garden dominated by the Horse Power sculpture. The building is made of various textures, one being red sandstone imported from India. The sandstone is used in the interior and as well as the exterior of the building. Black granite from Quebec was used for the pavement and floors. The green wall that extends for two floors is made of Welsh green slate and it points to Victoria Park. The council chamber was built reminiscent of a Roman amphitheatre and is a circular, modern, and approachable space and has more than double sitting space for the public. One of the meetings rooms, the Heritage Room, now houses the mahogany council furniture that was used in the 1924 and Oxlea city halls. The rotunda is an open space used for many events and gatherings.

In 2013, the current City Hall building will celebrate its 20th anniversary.

1: City Halls – 1924-2007. - 80 cm textual records, 60 cm photographs.

This series contains information and photographs regarding all three buildings that were used for city business. It includes a photocopy of the invitation to the grand opening of the 1924 city hall along with a chronological history of the building. The series also includes newspaper articles regarding the demolition of the 1924 city hall and articles on the opinions regarding the decision to demolish and rebuild the city hall. It includes photographs, framed art, blueprints, negatives and articles on the 1924 city hall. It also includes photographs, framed art, articles and mortgage information on the present city hall.

An index is available in Appendix A.

2: National Architectural Design Competition. – 1988-1990.- 10 cm textual records, 10 cm photographs.

This series consists of reports by the Ad-hoc Steering Committee on Civic Accommodation, the official program of the competition, photographs and slides of the Architectural competition Awards night, visitor registers, and architectural renderings. The records are arranged in chronological order. It should be noted that the reports and programs are composed of both originals and photocopies.

An index is available in Appendix B.

3: Groundbreaking. – 1991-1993. – 6 cm textual records, 6 cm photographs.

This series consists primarily of photographs of the Groundbreaking ceremony; and unofficial sod turning photographs, however, it also contains the official invitation to the ceremony, a news release, and a copy of a speech written by Terry Boutilier.

An index is available in Appendix C.

4: Construction. – 1990-1995.-10cm textual records, 12 cm photographs.

This series is comprised of photographs, news releases, copies of the invitations to the opening of the Reflecting Studio, information regarding the Time Capsule, along with a summary of construction details. The photographs are of particular interest as they provide a pictorial history of the construction of the current City Hall. The records are arranged in chronological order.

An index is available in Appendix D.

5: Grand Opening.-Sept 13-19, 1993.-20 cm textual records, 16 cm photographs.

This series consists primarily of photographs of the official opening of the current City Hall. It also includes “Come Celebrate!” the official commemorative magazine and a souvenir memorabilia and any articles.

An index is available in Appendix E.

6: Recognition/Awards for Architectural Design. – 1989-1994.- 3 cm.

This series contains information regarding awards and other recognition honouring the current City Hall building. It includes news releases regarding the Governor General’s Award for Architecture along with articles that have been written on the design of the building. The records are arranged in chronological order.

An index is available in Appendix F.

7: Furnishings/Artefacts.-1981,1997.- 8 cm.

This series contains information regarding furniture and artifacts in the City’s custody including furniture from former City Halls. It consists primarily of an inventory of the remaining pieces. In addition, information on artifacts that are in the City’s possession is also included in the series.

An index is available in Appendix G.

APPENDIX A
Series 1: City Halls

Title Date Volume/Item Box
City Hall Timelines 1924-1991 1-1 10857
Photographs – proposed designs 1989 1-23 10857
Opening of 1924 City Hall Invitation 1924 1-24 10857
Photographs of City Hall 1993 7-1 10948
Photographs of City Hall 1993 7-2 10948
Photographs 1980’s 7-3 10948
Correspondence on Renovations to City Hall 1991 8-1 10946
Perspectives magazine article 1997 9-1 10943
Magazine article 1997 9-2 10943
Blueprints of 1924 City Hall 1924-1993 10-1 10937
Photographs of 1924 City Hall 1924-1993 10-2 10937
Date Stone Marker 1960’s 10-3 10937
Newspaper Articles 1991 10-4 10937
Calendar 1995 11-2 14384
Negatives of Mortgage Shredding Ceremony 1996 12-1 10919
1924 Council Chamber furniture –article & photographs 1960’s – 1970’s 13-1 10927
Council Meetings – video 1991-1991 14-1 14534
Opening of 1924 City Hall 1924 15-1 10141
Schmalz Family Legacy CD 2007 15-3 10141
Scrapbook 1972 17-1 10903
Scrapbook 1988 17-2 10903
Scrapbook 1972 17-3 10903
Scrapbook 1972 17-4 10903
Scrapbook 1972 18-1 10902
Boiler Installation 1957 19-1 10171
Steering Committee minutes 1990-1992 20-1 10170
1924 City Hall building photo 1950’s 21-3 10168
1924 City Hall building photo 1950’s 21-4 10168
Newspaper articles 1960-1993 22-1 10158
Mortgage Shredding Ceremony 1996 23-1 12002
Photographs 1991-2002 25-1 11176
Photograph – laboratory at City Hall 1950’s 25-2 11176
Council Meetings – videos – Proposed City Hall 1990-2004 26-1 11177
Opening City Hall 1993 26-2 11177
Articles on building new City Hall 1990-1991 27-3 11142
City Hall Ground Floor layout 1991 27-4 11142
Architect material 1991 27-5 11142
French Architectural magazine 1991 27-6 11142
Books on Architects 1991 27-7 11142
Naming recommendation 1991 27-10 11142
10th Anniversary Self Guided Tour Book 2003 27-11 11142
Calendar featuring 1924 City Hall 1973 28-1 11143
City Hall photographs 1995-2004 29-1 13592
Project Manual V.5 – signage 1990 31-1 11208
Publicity Report 1993 31-2 11208
Access facilities info 1990-1994 32-1 11683
Floor Plans 1950’s 32-2 11683
Photograph 1950’s 33-1 10925
Floor Plans 1991 34-1 13003
Floor Plans 1991 34-2 13003
Floor Plans 1991 34-3 13003
Floor Plans 1991 35-1 13005
Floor Plans 1991 35-2 13005
Floor Plans 1991 35-3 13005
Floor Plans 1991 36-1 13224
Drawings 1991 36-2 13224
Floor Plans 1991 36-3 13224
Floor Plans 1991 37-1 13322
Floor Plans 1991 37-2 13322
Floor Plans 1991 37-3 13322
Floor Plans 1991 38-1 13319
Floor Plans 1991 38-2 13319
Floor Plans 1991 38-3 13319
Floor Plans 1991 39-1 9390
Floor Plans 1991 39-2 9390
Photographs Mortgage Shredding 1996 40-1 13711
Redevelopment info 1971 41-1 12855
Civic Square naming 1993 43-1 13305
Background information 1924-1993 43-2 13305
Site location feasibility 1991 44-1 12817
Competition drawings 1991 44-2 12817
Architect firm bios 1989 44-3 12817
Cogeneration feasibility study 1990 44-4 12817
Space analysis final report 1987 44-5 12817
Design Competition Q & A 1989 44-6 12817
Future space requirements 1988 44-7 12817
“The Making of the Kitchener City Hall Competition” 1988 44-8 12817
Design & construction timeline 1988 44-9 12817
Professional advisor
Selection process 1988 44-10 12817
Tour guide information 1993 44-11 12817
Photograph 1960’s 46-1 11862
Photograph 1965 46-2 11862
Photograph 1955 46-3 11862
Photo Perspective 2006 47-1 12419
Newspaper Photo 2006 48-1 12458
Photographs 1998-2001 49-1 11193
Photographs 1984-2005 50-1 12290
Street Cleaning Man 1950’s 51-1 10932
City Hall Puzzle n.d. 52-1 10911
Slides of City Hall 1990’s 55-1 11843
Negatives 56-1 12996
Photographs 1995-2004 57-1 13592
Photographs 1995-2004 57-2 13592
Photographs 1993 58-1 14314
Photograph 2002 59-1 12544
Photograph 1939 60-1 12813
Photographs 1971-1988 61-1 12118
Oxlea Tower Council Chamber painting 1980’s 62-1 Mphotograph - 0194
Framed oil painting of 1869 Town Hall 1924 63-1 Mphotograph - 0196
Framed photograph 1924 City Hall 1945 64-1 Mphotograph - 0204
Framed sketch of 1924 City Hall 1990’s 65-1 Mphotograph - 0204
Framed artists rendering of 1993 City Hall 1993 66-1 Mphotograph - 0208
Framed painting – Christmas City Hall 67-1 7th Floor
Framed painting – Christmas City Hall 68-1 9th Floor
Framed painting – Christmas City Hall 69-1 7th Floor

APPENDIX B
Series 2: National Architectural Design Competition

Title Date Volume/Item Box
Reports 1988 1-2 10857
Conditions and Program 1989 1-3 10857
Photograph of proposed design of City Hall 1989 1-4 10857
Architectural Awards Night program 1989 1-5 10857
Space Program summary 1990 1-6 10857
Architectural Renderings 1989 1-7 10857
Architectural Renderings 1989 1-8 10857
Visitor Register (2) 1989 2-1 10833
Photographs and slide of Architectural Competition Awards Night 1989 2-2 10833
Competition submission 1990 4-4 9916
Schematic Design 1990 30-1 10725

APPENDIX C
Series 3: Groundbreaking

Title Date Volume/Item Box
Miscellaneous documents 1991 1-9 10857
Souvenir button 1991 1-10 10857
Photographs 1991 3-1 10831
Town Portrait – group photograph 1991 3-2 10831
Sod turning photographs 1991 6-1 13712
Negatives – Ground Breaking Ceremony 1991 12-2 10919
Framed town portrait – group photograph 1993 70-1 Mphotograph -0160

APPENDIX D
Series 4: Construction

Title Date Volume/Item Box
Floor Plans 1990 1-11 10857
Building Specifications 1990-1993 1-12 10857
Time Capsule information 1993-1995 1-13 10857
“My Dad Helped Build City Hall” stickers 1993 1-14 10857
Mayor’s Thank-you to Construction
Staff 1993 1-15 10857
Pictorial history of construction 1991-1993 3-3 10831
Negatives of Pictorial history 1991-1993 4-1 9916
Photographs “Kitchener My City” citizens’ art 1991 4-2 9916
Construction photographs 1991 4-3 9916
Sandstone excavation 1990 4-5 9916
Monthly pictorial photographs 1991-1993 5-2 11175
Construction photographs 1991 21-1 10168
Signage boards 1993 21-2 10168

APPENDIX E
Series 5: Grand Opening

Title Date Volume/Item Box
Official Commemorative Magazine 1993 1-16 10857
Souvenir bag 1993 1-21 10857
Grand Opening info 1993 1-22 10857
Photographs 1993 5-1 11175
Commemorative Magazine 1993 10-5 10937
Grand Opening pin and ribbon 1993 11-1 14384
Negatives and photographs – Grand Opening 1993 12-3 10919
Commemorative section and photographs 1993 15-2 10141
Commemorative newspaper section 1993 16-1 10908
Photographs 1993 24-1 9912
Photographs 1993 25-3 11176
Artwork –Grand Opening 1993 27-1 11142
Media info – Grand Opening 1993 27-2 11142
Self-guided tour book 1993 27-8 11142
Grand opening pins 1993 42-1 14534
Opening ceremonies tapes 1993 43-3 13305
Videos – Grand Opening 1993 53-1 14548
Video – City Hall ad
1993 54-1 14547

APPENDIX F
Series 6: Recognition/Awards for Architectural Design

Title Date Volume/Item Box
Governor General’s award for Architectural Design Information 1994 1-17 10857
Design Articles 1989-1990 1-18 10857
Medal for Governor General’s award 1993 27-9 11142

APPENDIX G
Series 7: Furnishing/Artifacts

Title Date Volume/Item Box
Inventory of Furnishings 1997 1-19 10857
Donations of Artifacts 1981 1-20 10857
Concordia Club Medallion 1994 43-4 13305
Commemorative plate 1973 45-1 10843
Centennial Commemorative plate 1967 45-2 10843

The fonds exists of photographs which document various stages in the construction of the current city hall. However, it also contains reports, visitor registers, plans, slides and correspondence. The records document the entire process ranging from the selection of the building design in 1989 to the grand opening in 1993. The fonds also consist of photographs, negatives, newspaper articles, and magazines on all Berlin/Kitchener municipal buildings. It also includes framed art and photographs of the municipal buildings. The records are arranged into seven series that reflect significant stages in the construction of the city hall as well as the background information on all city halls. The material within each series is arranged in chronological order.