Meaford, ON
Posted by: 
jiggs11
N 44° 36.497 W 080° 35.539
17T E 532349 N 4939517
Former Town Hall in Meaford, ON.
Waymark Code: WMVBPK
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 03/29/2017
Views: 6
Former Town Hall and Opera House located in downtown, Meaford. The cornerstone was laid in 1908 and the building opened in 1909, two years after a fire destroyed the original Town Hall on this site.
The Town of Meaford traces its roots back to 1835, when the area was first surveyed. It was subdivided throughout the 1840s and 1850s. By 1870 the Town had been established and the first train tracks had been laid.
Throughout the latter 19th and early 20th centuries the Town bustled with activity. It's proximity to Georgian Bay on Lake Huron and prime agricultural lands to the south contributed to its prosperity. In 2000, in accordance with the Ontario Government's desire to reduce duplication of municipal services, the Town was amalgamated with a dozen other towns, counties, villages, hamlets to form the Municipality of Meaford, of which the Town is a part of. Population has remained steady at about 11,000.
The old Town Hall contained municipal offices on the first floor, with three small jail cells in the basement. The Hall also doubled as a courthouse. The town library occupied space on the first floor as well, until moving into its own facility across the street in 1967.
The second story contained the old 300-seat Opera House. Here the local high school and theater company would stage productions. Musical acts and traveling shows also made stops here.
By 1967, the building was showing its age. The library moved, followed by law enforcement and court duties. Finally, the Town offices were vacated in 2002.
In 2003, the Town received a Superfund grant and the building was upgraded and converted to a multipurpose Arts and Cultural Centre.
Name: Meaford Town Hall
Address:
12 Nelson Street East
Meaford, ON CA
N4L1N6
Date of Construction: 1908
Architect: Ellis & Connery
Memorials/Commemorations/Dedications:
World War I Memorial plaque
50th Anniversary of VE Day
Multi-war Memorial
Web Site for City/Town/Municipality: [Web Link]
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