Peterborough City Hall is the seat of the municipal government of

Peterborough, Ontario Peterborough ( ) is a city on the Otonabee River in Ontario, Canada, about 125 kilometres (78 miles) northeast of Toronto. According to the 2021 Census, the population of the City of Peterborough was 83,651. The population of the Peterborough ...

, Canada. It is a -storey building, located at 500 George Street North, across the street from Confederation Park, the Drill Hall and Armouries and

Peterborough Collegiate PACE at Peterborough Collegiate, formerly Peterborough Collegiate Vocational School, is a public secondary school located in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada and is a member of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board. It is one of the oldest ...

. The complex consists of two buildings: the City Hall built in 1951 and the former Carnegie Library built in 1911.

History

Carnegie Building

The north wing of the City Hall was the original location of the

Peterborough Public Library The Peterborough Public Library is a public library system in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. Services The Main Library is a full-service library with a current circulating collection of books, CD audiobooks, Music, DVDs and magazines. The colle ...

. Built 1910-1911 using funds from the

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

Foundation, it was one of only 125 Carnegie libraries in Canada. The library was built in the Beaux-Arts style by prominent local architect John E. Belcher. The building also housed the collection of the Victoria Museum, the precursor to the Peterborough Museum & Archives.

City Hall

The cornerstone was laid on December 1, 1950, by

Leslie Frost Leslie Miscampbell Frost (September 20, 1895 – May 4, 1973) was a politician in Ontario, Canada, who served as the province's 16th premier from May 4, 1949, to November 8, 1961. Due to his lengthy tenure, he gained the nickname "Old Man O ...

Premier of Ontario The premier of Ontario (french: premier ministre de l'Ontario) is the head of government of Ontario. Under the Westminster system, the premier governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority the elected Legislative Assembly of On ...

, and City Hall was officially opened in October 1951 by

Charlotte Whitton Charlotte Elizabeth Whitton (March 8, 1896 – January 25, 1975) was a Canadian feminist and mayor of Ottawa. She was the first woman mayor of a major city in Canada, serving from 1951 to 1956 and again from 1960 to 1964. Whitton was a Cana ...

Mayor of Ottawa In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

, and the Mayor of Peterborough, Ontario. The sandstone building is a late example of

Beaux-Arts architecture Beaux-Arts architecture ( , ) was the academic architectural style taught at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, particularly from the 1830s to the end of the 19th century. It drew upon the principles of French neoclassicism, but also incorpora ...

inspired by the

City Beautiful movement The City Beautiful Movement was a reform philosophy of North American architecture and urban planning that flourished during the 1890s and 1900s with the intent of introducing beautification and monumental grandeur in cities. It was a part of the ...

. It was designed by Marani & Morris and built by Eastwood Construction. The lobby features a marble terrazzo-tiled floor depicting a map of Peterborough County with brass inlay.

Today

City Hall is home to the administrative offices and municipal services of the City of Peterborough. The

Peterborough City Council Peterborough City Council is the local authority for Peterborough in the East of England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. The City was incorporated as a municipal borough ...

meets in the Council Chambers on the second floor.

References

{{Peterborough, Ontario City and town halls in Ontario Buildings and structures in Peterborough, Ontario 1951 establishments in Ontario Government buildings completed in 1951 Politics of Peterborough, Ontario Beaux-Arts architecture in Canada Designated heritage properties in Ontario

History

Carnegie Building

City Hall

Today

See also

References