Built in 1902, the present city hall was originally built as a provincial government building and courthouse. It was designed by George Dillon Curtis, an Irish-born architect who had established a practice in Nelson in 1897 and designed public buildings there and in Rossland and Fernie as well. The historic stone and brick courthouse in Rossland, now a Canadian National Historic Site, was in fact designed by Curtis' future partner, John James Honeyman.
The building originally housed the gold commissioner's office, the chief of police and the mining recorder, as well as the county and supreme courts. It happens that this supreme court was the
first in the
Yale District of British Columbia. Yale was an electoral district which once encompassed most of the southern BC interior, from the Fraser River to the Rockies, an area of considerable size. Extant in its second incarnation from 1917 to 1953, today it has been supplanted by the Okanagan Boundary and Okanagan—Revelstoke electoral districts.
There are three jail cells in the basement, one of which was part of the original design. The basement is a cold, dank and dreary place with narrow halls and little lighting - really the perfect place for ne'er-do-wells to cool their heels after a drunken spree or a main street brawl. It was a good place for them to reflect on their recent misdeeds and general lifestyle. Given that the town was populated by miners and smelter workers, mostly single men, in Greenwood's heyday, one can assume that the jail received its fair share of overnight visitors.
The building is well preserved and still contains its original woodwork and fixtures, including the wooden staircase leading to the courtroom on the second floor, a beautifully hand painted safe in the city office, and stained glass windows and skylights in the courtroom. The City of Greenwood bought it from the province in 1953 to use as its city hall.
On the grounds of City Hall are Greenwood's War Memorial and the original bell from Greenwood's original fire hall.
Greenwood Courthouse
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
The Greenwood Courthouse (Supreme Court of Yale), is a four story wood-framed constructed, located at the corner of Government and Deadwood Streets in the City of Greenwood, British Columbia. The building was constructed in 1902-1903 to serve as the provincial government building and courthouse for the Supreme Court of British Columbia, the first in the interior of British Columbia. Served as the Supreme Court of Yale from 1902-1953. The building is located at 202 S. Government Ave., Greenwood, BC and is currently used as the City Hall.
HERITAGE VALUE
The Greenwood Courthouse is significant because of its historical, cultural and aesthetic significance to Greenwood and the surrounding region.
Prominent BC architect George D. Curtis was commissioned to design and oversee construction of the heritage site. The building was constructed by Smith Brothers and Travis who were contractors that built many of the institutional, commerical, and high-end residential buildings during Greenwood's early development. The architect George D. Curtis is known in Greenwood's history for his contract for this building and a residence for Gold Commissioner and Provincial Agent W.E. McMynn.
The heritage site is representative of the role that institutions played in the establishment of order and governance in the Boundary and other regions; and the establishment of colonial society in the resource boomtowns of British Columbia.
The heritage site is valued as the first Supreme Court in the District of Yale and served as a significant political and cultural center to the community for the court cases in the years 1903-1953. Greenwood's importance as the center for the Boundary mining region, and indeed its survival, was solidified by the Province's decision to locate the Supreme Court, Gold Commissioner and Provincial Agent in the City. W.G. McArthur, a long serving Mayor, was influential in Greenwood's becoming an internment camp for 1200 Japanese Canadians during WWII. After the war, the heritage site was subsequently used as a City Hall, Museum, and Courthouse.
From Historic Places Canada
