Historical Highlight - Dayton City Hall

Then and Now

Back in the olden days, Dayton’s City Hall was a wooden building in the middle of the park along Ferry Street. In 1906, you can see this building in the park from this 4th of July parade view, to the right.

At the top is a bell –this was the fire bell and the method used to alert everyone that a fire had broken out.

At some point, City offices moved out of this building, but the fire bell remained stationed in the park on a tower. As Louie Finnicum remembered in an article she wrote on early Dayton Memories about playing in the park as a child, “In the corner of the park (Ferry & 4th) was the fire tower. We would climb up on the rail and swing across on the rope, but if you rang the bell it was instant death from the city fathers.”

The current day City Hall was first conceived when the City purchased for $800 four lots and cement building from the estate of Tom Berg (or Bird) in 1934. The plan was to refurbish the building to house the council room, Library, fire hall, recorder’s office and jail. In April 1935, this building project was started; and completed by mid-August. It was a work relief project during the Depression of the 1930s, providing employment for those who had lost their jobs. The newspaper reported that the ‘a stucco finish has been made for the exterior….’

The newspaper reported, “Several hundred residents of Dayton and community attended the open air dedication program of the new city hall and library held Thursday evening under the auspices of the Dayton Business Men's Association and the Dayton’s Woman's Civic Club.

Dr. Milton A. Marcy of Portland, former pastor of the local Methodist church, delivered the address on “Progress”. P. P. Olds’ 20 piece band of McMinnville furnished the music. Mayor Earl Coburn gave a resume of the purchase of the Bird property 18 months ago and transformation to a modern splendid city hall housing the library of more than 1000 volumes which grew from 50 books at its inception in 1919. The silver tea served during the evening for benefit of the swimming pool fund netted $15.35.”

There may be earlier pictures of City Hall, but this is the one I found around 1988. (below, left). And, now, City Hall as it is today – much updated. The Library is bigger. We no longer have a jail. And the Fire Hall has moved down the street. (below, right)