Newmarket's Old Town Hall gets $80K from feds for audio and visual equipment

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 15, 2016
By Chris Simon

When you’ve just completed a $10-million renovation, $83,250 can seem like a pittance.

But on a large project, the small details often become key to its success. So when the federal government decided to donate more than $83,000 toward the purchase of audio and visual equipment for Newmarket’s recently renovated Old Town Hall, the municipality was happy to accept.

“This building and site are historically significant to Newmarket,” Newmarket-Aurora MP Kyle Peterson said while standing beside the facility on a warm and sunny Tuesday morning. “From as early as 1871, the square was home to a thriving market. The building remained as the political and government centre of town well into the 1950s. This building has served as a centre of commercial, civic and cultural engagement for nearly 135 years.”

This state-of-the-art equipment will be used during special events, Mayor Tony Van Bynen said.

“This really is an exciting moment in the rich history of Newmarket’s downtown core and yet another milestone in the story of this unique building,” he said. “This commitment isn’t just about technology. It’s truly an investment in the vibrant and dynamic culture we enjoy in Newmarket. It’s about providing our local artists and their audiences with a performance that is second to none.”

The announcement kicks off the start of a busy period at the facility. While the project has been criticized at times - the initial completion date was pushed back by over a year - 460 Botsford St. is finally ready to take in guests once more. An official reopening celebration takes place Sept. 22, the Newmarket Celebrates the Arts gala runs Sept. 23 at 6 p.m. and an open house happens Sept. 24 from noon to 5 p.m. On Sept. 27 at 6 p.m., the town will host a family-themed discovery and adventure night, which includes a tour of the facility.

Old Town Hall is intended to be a jewel in the crown of a revitalized Main Street, steps from Riverwalk Commons and the Newmarket Public Library, featuring meeting rooms, an elevator, an updated theatre and storage space. It will also be accessible and capable of hosting art exhibitions and residents will be able to pay tax bills and make other municipal inquiries at a main kiosk.

A new addition has been built with plenty of windows and leads to an outdoor stage and piazza capable of hosting gatherings and performances. The indoor theatre does not have permanent seating, to allow for adaptability based on need.

There will also be plenty for the history buff to appreciate inside, including exposed brick, where feasible, white replica tin tiling on the ceilings and refurbished jail cell doors hung on walls in the basement. The town even plans to allow historical ghost tours of the facility.

OLD TOWN HALL

• Is located at 460 Botsford St.
• It opened in 1883, after Mayor William Cane advocated for a “modern building” to accommodate a farmers’ market that had outgrown its original space to the north of the present building.
• The two-storey buff brick building was designed in the Italianate style, with a projecting frontispiece, a crested central square bell-tower, tall narrow windows and a heavily bracketed cornice.
• One of the first buildings paid for by the community through a loan.
• Its inauguration took place on Dominion Day, 1883.
• Served as the political and administrative centre for the town until the 1950s.
• The meeting hall/auditorium was converted into a municipal courtroom and used for the purpose from 1975 to 1980.
• A local acting troupe also staged theatrical productions on-site.
• Building has a “striking similarity” to the Grand Opera house in Toronto, which was located near the offices of Mallory and Sons, the architectural firm that worked on the town hall project.
• Designated by the town for its historical and architectural significance in 1999; added to the Canadian register in 2007.

Source: historicplaces.ca.