4 minute read
City Hall Through the Years
Transforming to Meet the Needs of Citizens
Throughout its history, Westerville City Hall has had many different looks but one thing has remained constant through the change–City Hall is dedicated to the service of our citizens. As it has for decades, this center for government will continue to lead with vision, courage and determination.
Let’s take a look at the history:
Nearly a century ago, the village of Westerville had outgrown its town hall and was looking for a new location to house its government and services. In 1933, the village of Westerville purchased the B.T. Davis residence from the Westerville Methodist Episcopal Church for $4,300. In today’s dollars that is approximately $104,000. Soon after purchasing the property the home was remodeled with designs by James B. King. He chose a colonial revival style to reflect the “New England town hall tradition.” The front bay of the structure was expanded.
In 1937, Westerville City Hall became the first municipal building to use federal relief funds from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) to expand the second floor of the building to provide space for the city’s public library. The Westerville Public Library occupied the second floor of City Hall until 1955 when its own building was complete.
In December 1964, Westerville City Council authorized the purchase of the S&A Auto Parts and adjacent Schott home at 29 S. State St. to house the City’s Public Safety Department, including both Fire and Police Divisions. Both properties were purchased for $83,000 and were ultimately razed as part of construction.
The construction and renovation completed through the WPA allowed the municipal building to serve the community for 50 years before the tremendous growth in the City dictated more space at City Hall. In 1987, the addition of Council Chambers, the City Manager’s Office and construction of a new Police Division at 29 S. State St. were completed. The Division of Fire moved to 400 W. Main St., the current location of Station 111. The Westerville Division of Police was located at 29 S. State St. until 2022.
Westerville City Hall faithfully served the community from 1987 to 2017 before its next major facelift. In May of 2017, the City completed a two-phase project to modernize the exterior of City Hall and transform the center of Uptown, adding a green space courtyard, performance stage and lit seating walls. A considerable amount of underground utility work was completed to support the future growth of the complex.
Today, City Hall is again under construction; this time combining the properties at 21 and 29 S. State St. into one City Hall complex. This marks the fifth major construction and renovation project for City Hall since 1933. When complete, City Hall will be a unified campus that centralizes administrative functions, reflects Westerville’s unique identity and strengthens the Uptown community experience.
