The Markham Civic Centre is the

city hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

of the city of

Markham, Ontario Markham () is a city in the Regional Municipality of York, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately northeast of Downtown Toronto. In the 2021 Census, Markham had a population of 338,503, which ranked it the largest in York Region, fourth largest ...

. The brick and glass Civic Centre was designed by architect

Arthur Erickson Arthur Charles Erickson (June 14, 1924 – May 20, 2009) was a Canadian architect and urban planner. He studied Engineering at the University of British Columbia and, in 1950, received his B.Arch. (Honours) from McGill University. He is known ...

with Richard Stevens Architects Limited and opened on May 25, 1990. Entrances, except the great hall entrance, are named after communities in Markham (Unionville, Milliken, Thornhill). The building is adjacent to an 11.5-hectare park with a large pond reflecting the south façade.

Building structure

The three storey complex is home to *

Markham City Council The Markham City Council is the governing body of the city of Markham, Ontario, Canada. It consists of the mayor, eight councillors who each represent one of the city's eight wards, and four regional councillors who, along with the mayor, are electe ...

chambers - Rotunda * wedding chapel annex * mayor and councillor offices * city offices * public lobby * winter garden * executive wing * council chambers * committee rooms * council library and archives A reflecting pond is located on the south side of the building alongside a 26,000 square foot skating rink - the largest outdoor refrigerated skating rink in the GTA, and operated in the winter months. The skating rink was constructed and officially opened in December 2011. Located next to the civic centre is the Markham Theatre and Unionville High School. The Civic Centre is a functional building providing office space and a number of public spaces for events in the Great Hall and Lower Atrium. The split level of the Great Hall comes with a two-storey glass front viewing the reflecting pond and wedding chapel.

Bids and winning design

Three architect firms were shortlisted to submitted designs in 1986 for the then Markham Municipal Centre, including

Raymond Moriyama Raymond Moriyama LL. D. (born October 11, 1929) is a Canadian architect.Ra ...

Erickson and Barton Myers Associates, but the final design was awarded to Erickson. Erickson's original design was slightly different, but the Town intervened to keep costs at budget ($14.4 million and $5.2 million for landscaping) When the building was about to begin construction, Erickson's Toronto office faced financial difficulties.Issue no. 49 Jul 2009 p11-12

Sculptures

There is a single piece of art work located to the east side of the Town Centre. The art work is a skeletal town hall theme with a bell attached.

Markham Civic Centre Ice

Located on south side of the building and open during winter, it is an artificial surface rink. In summer months the rink is a large water fountain.

Previous Town Halls 1862-1990

While location of town meeting from 1850 to 1862 are not known, below is a list of some places Markham Town Council have sat: *

Markham Wesleyan Methodist Markham may refer to: It may also refer to brand of of clothing which originates from South Africa which saw it's establishment in 1873. Biology * Markham's storm-petrel (''Oceanodroma markhami''), a seabird species found in Chile and Colombia * ...

(now St. Andrew's United Church since 1926) 1862-1882: Ontario Vernacular/Italianate/Gothic church used as a meeting place for Markham Village Town Council * Franklin House 1873-1882: hotel was used as meeting place for Markham Village Town Council; located on the north side of the old village town hall and was demolished with a parking lot now in place. *

Markham Village Town Hall (96 Main Street Markham) Markham Village Town Hall, also called Old Town Hall, is a building at 96 Main Street North in Markham, Ontario, Canada, and was the home to Markham Town Council from 1882 until it moved to a location on Woodbine Avenue. It was built in 1882 by ...

1882-1946 -

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian R ...

structure built by John Wilson 1882 was first permanent home to town council, also home to local jail, storage of volunteer fire brigade equipment and home to Masonic and Oddfellow Lodges; sold in 1946 to become a theatre and now housing private offices *

Markham Village Fire Hall Markham may refer to: It may also refer to brand of of clothing which originates from South Africa which saw it's establishment in 1873. Biology * Markham's storm-petrel (''Oceanodroma markhami''), a seabird species found in Chile and Colombia * ...

(1950-1970)- dual fire station built 1950 with room for council chambers; fire hall was later demolished and replaced by current Markham Fire and Emergency Services Station 97 - 209 Main Street North * Buttonville Township Offices - 8911 Woodbine Avenue (1971-1990) - initially built for Buttonville Township Offices in 1950 and the modern/brutalist building has since been demolished and now Chapel Ridge Funeral Home and Cremation Centre

References

{{s-end Arthur Erickson buildings City and town halls in Ontario Buildings and structures in Markham, Ontario Postmodern architecture in Canada Tourist attractions in Markham, Ontario 1990 establishments in Ontario