Building a More Beautiful Paducah

The city leaders and its loyal citizens ultimately concurred that the 1960 city hall should enhance Paducah’s image

HISTORY ALWAYS SEEMS TO REPEAT ITSELF. IN 1960 AND AGAIN in 2014, the citizens of Paducah wondered what to do with a dilapidating city hall. Build a new one! Rehabilitate the old! Build downtown! Find a new building! As these ideas cycled through the community, disagreements flew between city officials, mayors, and council members. Ultimately it was the concentrated community voices that both built and preserved the city hall we have today.

In The Beginning

The first chapter of this story begins in 1960. There was talk for many years of replacing the old city hall at the corner of 4th and Kentucky. It was built in 1883 and by 1902, the Paducah Sun published an article complaining that it was “too small, and is about as unattractive public building that could be found anywhere, with the possible exception of our city hospitals.” The 1883 building included a clock tower that had stopped working after World War II. At one point the mechanisms for the clock fell through into the third story of the building. The general consensus in 1960 was that the building was in poor condition and could not house all of the offices required of the city. When the city faced an economic downturn in 1960, Mayor Robert Cherry hired the Fantus Company from Chicago for a study. Consultants from the company recommended that a new city hall be built by a famous architect. While sites were being considered, the city commission unexpectedly voted to purchase the Illinois Central Railroad Hospital (today known as the Katterjohn building) with the intention of repurposing it as the next city hall. Not yet mayor Tom Wilson and downtown merchants opposed the purchase, advocating for city hall to be located downtown. They formed an organization called Citizens for a Downtown City Hall. They petitioned to put the issue on the ballot which became a contentious battle resulting in Katterjohn Inc. filing suit to force the city to go through with the sale. It was overruled in court. In less than ten days, over 4,000 community members signed a petition against the purchase of the building. When the ordinance to buy the ICR Hospital was put to vote, community voices rose up and it was defeated.

Land at the current city hall location was secured through the Urban Renewal Administration. R.H. (Bob) Overstreet was executive director of the Urban Renewal Local Agency in Paducah. The building of City Hall became encompassed in a larger Downtown Civic Center project that included 26 acres downtown. For the new city hall, 18 families and 24 individuals were relocated into standard housing.

By 1964, Tom Wilson was elected mayor and he returned to the recommendations of the Fantus Company. The city secured internationally known architect Edward Durrell Stone to design the building. Stone’s portfolio includes the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. and the United States Embassy in New Delhi.

The $1.5 million project was based entirely around the idea that Paducah needed a city hall that would enhance the city’s attractiveness. The community renewal plan of 1962 states, “An outstanding city hall would be an indication to citizens and visitors alike that something new is happening in Paducah. The psychological effects of such a new building, having good land use planning and architectural design, will be of considerable value in changing Paducah’s image.”

The city’s selection of Stone was a remarkable choice. Across the country, Paducah was praised for moving beyond a cookie cutter city hall and actually designing something of architectural worth. When Paducah’s new city hall opened in 1965, American City Magazine extolled Paducah’s city leaders, “As a matter of fact, cities generally are reluctant to retain internationally known architects to design their city halls. But Paducah was not among them. This little city… wanted a city hall that would contribute to the art and architecture of the city and the nation.”

The building stands as an example of New Formalism architecture. Stone worked alongside local architectural firm Lee Potter Smith and Associates. One of its most noteworthy features is the pyramidal lantern structure that sits at the center of the building that brings light into the two-story atrium.

History Repeats

Over time the magic of city hall seemed to dissipate. Many in the city had forgotten about how this structure once stood as the pride of Paducah. In 2014, the city began once again to talk about building a new city hall. Estimates to renovate the existing city hall came in at $15.6 million. The city cited safety concerns and modernization that