OCCASION TO BE MARKED AT SEPTEMBER 16 TELEVISED COUNCIL MEETING
Kitchener City Hall celebrates its 20th anniversary
Kitchener City Hall celebrates its 20th anniversary
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by Helen Hall
Kitchener Citizen
September 12, 2013
Twenty years ago this week, Kitchener residents were getting a first look at their brand new city hall at an open house.
Kitchener mayor Carl Zehr will mark the occasion with a short presentation at city council’s September 16 meeting, which is being televised on Rogers TV at 7pm.
In an interview with the Citizen, Zehr described the move to the current city hall as a “major turning point for the city.”
“It helped recognize us as a major urban centre in the region and the province,” he said.
The previous city hall owned by the City of Kitchener was located at the corner of King Street East and Frederick Street, where Market Square now stands. It was built in 1924 and torn down in 1973, a decision controversial to this day. The clock tower from that building now stands in Victoria Park.
The city rented office space in the Oxlea Tower on Frederick Street across from Market Square from 1973 to 1993.
The late Dom Cardillo, former mayor of Kitchener, was the chair of the city hall steering committee and Zehr was a city councillor and vice-chair.
The city purchased the complete block enclosed by King, College, Duke, and Young streets, and held a competition to design the building. The winner was Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects of Toronto, whose plans included the building and the open square with the fountain and skating rink that face King Street West.
Zehr said this anniversary has given him the opportunity to read over some of the paperwork from that time, and he is glad the committee looked long-term when planning for the construction.
One item that was up for discussion was whether to eliminate the skating rink from the front of the building to save money.
“I’m glad we decided to keep the rink in. It’s now a focal point and an iconic part of the city,” he said.
Zehr joked that he even found an old column by former Waterloo Region Record reporter Frank Etherington encouraging the city to think long-term when making its decisions. Etherington is now retired from The Record and a city councillor for Ward 9.
Former City of Kitchener employee Pat Tvrdon remembers the excitement of the staff preparing for the move to the new city hall.
“There was almost a party atmosphere,” she said. “We were so excited.”
Tvrdon worked for the city for 25 years and retired in 1999 from Municipal Law Enforcement/Property Standards. In 1993, she worked in the zoning department.
“We packed up everything in plastic crates,” she recalled.
Tvrdon said staff got the chance to visit the building before it officially opened.
“We went down to the new city hall and the elevators weren’t working yet,’ she said. “I remember walking up to the sixth floor to have a look at our new digs.”
Kitchener Citizen
September 12, 2013
Twenty years ago this week, Kitchener residents were getting a first look at their brand new city hall at an open house.
Kitchener mayor Carl Zehr will mark the occasion with a short presentation at city council’s September 16 meeting, which is being televised on Rogers TV at 7pm.
In an interview with the Citizen, Zehr described the move to the current city hall as a “major turning point for the city.”
“It helped recognize us as a major urban centre in the region and the province,” he said.
The previous city hall owned by the City of Kitchener was located at the corner of King Street East and Frederick Street, where Market Square now stands. It was built in 1924 and torn down in 1973, a decision controversial to this day. The clock tower from that building now stands in Victoria Park.
The city rented office space in the Oxlea Tower on Frederick Street across from Market Square from 1973 to 1993.
The late Dom Cardillo, former mayor of Kitchener, was the chair of the city hall steering committee and Zehr was a city councillor and vice-chair.
The city purchased the complete block enclosed by King, College, Duke, and Young streets, and held a competition to design the building. The winner was Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects of Toronto, whose plans included the building and the open square with the fountain and skating rink that face King Street West.
Zehr said this anniversary has given him the opportunity to read over some of the paperwork from that time, and he is glad the committee looked long-term when planning for the construction.
One item that was up for discussion was whether to eliminate the skating rink from the front of the building to save money.
“I’m glad we decided to keep the rink in. It’s now a focal point and an iconic part of the city,” he said.
Zehr joked that he even found an old column by former Waterloo Region Record reporter Frank Etherington encouraging the city to think long-term when making its decisions. Etherington is now retired from The Record and a city councillor for Ward 9.
Former City of Kitchener employee Pat Tvrdon remembers the excitement of the staff preparing for the move to the new city hall.
“There was almost a party atmosphere,” she said. “We were so excited.”
Tvrdon worked for the city for 25 years and retired in 1999 from Municipal Law Enforcement/Property Standards. In 1993, she worked in the zoning department.
“We packed up everything in plastic crates,” she recalled.
Tvrdon said staff got the chance to visit the building before it officially opened.
“We went down to the new city hall and the elevators weren’t working yet,’ she said. “I remember walking up to the sixth floor to have a look at our new digs.”
Pat Tvrdon, in the foreground, packs boxes in the City of Kitchener zoning department in August of 1993, preparing for the move to the new City Hall building on King Street West.
Photo courtesy of Pat Tvrdon
Photo courtesy of Pat Tvrdon
This photo of the new city hall was taken May 26, 1993.
Photos courtesy of City of Kitchener Corporate Archives
Photos courtesy of City of Kitchener Corporate Archives
A photo of Kitchener City Hall that was torn down in 1973.