First Municipal Hall

Description:

This building was originally Mission City’s first Municipal Hall. It operated from 1929 until 1974 and since then has been occupied by a number of restaurants. This building is located on the north side of First Avenue between the current Rex Cox Men’s Wear and CIBC.

History:

In April 1929, the District of Mission and the Village of Mission City decided to jointly build the first municipal hall. A joint meeting of the Municipal Council and the Village Commissioners was held in the new hall in November 1929 and the official opening took place on December 4, 1929. The staff of the building presented both the village commissioners and the municipal council with “a pipe of peace” and expressed their hope that all deliberations carried on in the municipal hall would be in a “spirit of friendliness and goodwill.” Tony Taulbut, the village clerk, had carved the long-stemmed pipe out of wood and asked the members to smoke it. The Mission Museum has had this pipe since 1974.

In 1954, the building was extensively renovated. In 1974, it was sold to private owners, and a new municipal hall (that is still in service today) was built on Stave Lake Road.

S. Lalji of Larco Developers originally had plans to convert the old municipal hall into a shopping mall and office space but these plans were dropped due to financing problems. Instead, new plans were presented in 1975 for the old city hall to become a restaurant with a separate lounge with a seating capacity of 80-100 persons. In October 1975 Council on the recommendation of Alderwoman Perry Cleven accepted that Lalji is asked to produce alternative suggestions. It is not certain if it was indeed Lalji who eventually carried out the restaurant development plans but the building did eventually become a restaurant with various owners and name changes over the years.

The Old Town Hall Restaurant was opened on this site about 1981 and a string of restaurants have followed, including Ramana’s Pizza and Steak House opening in ca.1983, then Dino’s Restaurant between ca.1986-1993, Stasia’s Family Restaurant in ca.1996, Athena’s Bar & Grill for a time in 2013, and Martin’s Downtown from January 2015 until 2018.

People Associated with the Site:

Bowman and Cullerne was the architectural firm, based out of Vancouver, that drew up the plans for the Municipal Hall and E.E. Fisher, from the Mission Construction Company, was the builder.

Over the years, many people worked in or with the Municipal Hall. The Honourable Nelson Lougheed served as the provincial Minister of Public Works and represented Dewdney between 1928 and 1933. Alderwoman Perry Cleven was on the Council for twelve years, starting in 1974, and was always active in the community and local politics.

Architectural Features:

The First Municipal Hall sits on the main downtown strip and is a single-story brick building that was built in 1929. It has seven steps that lead up to a columned entranceway and a large window on either side of the entrance. There are planter boxes that line the front of the building. The building is of a wood frame with brick veneer and constructed on cement foundations.

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