Kingston City Hall is the seat of local government in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Occupying a full city block overlooking Lake Ontario in downtown Kingston, the town hall is a leading building built in Neoclassical style with landmarks and domes.
The town hall was completed in 1844, with scale and design reflecting Kingston's status as the capital of the Canadian Province at the time. The architect chosen for the project in 1841 was George Browne, and the building was believed to be one of Browne's most remarkable works.
The building was designated as the National Historic Site of Canada in 1961.
Video Kingston City Hall (Ontario)
History
On April 18, 1840, a fire destroyed most parts of Kingston, including market areas, market buildings, and the original municipal office located in Baker Building on King Street overlooking Market Square. Mayor John Counter proposes the construction of new markets and urban development. Since Kingston, at the time, the capital of the new Canadian Province, the appearance of a new town hall is planned to reflect the city's status as the capital.
Architect George Browne, who moved to Kingston from Quebec with a new government, won a design contest and drew plans. He also took over the construction. The final phase of construction, however, was supervised by William Coverdale after Browne was dismissed. The foundation was laid on June 5, 1843 by Governor-General Charles Metcalfe at a market location overlooking the coast. The building was completed in November 1844.
The new town hall was built of limestone in the T shape and incorporated a new market building that extends westward to King Street. Known as a "shambles" market, the town hall wing is designed as a public market and is used by salesmen, butchers and green merchants who occupy kiosks. Market wing also includes clock tower. In 1865 the wings were destroyed by fire. It was rebuilt with a smaller configuration but no clock tower, and the clock was placed into the main dome. The fire in 1908 destroyed the main dome, which was reconstructed with a new clock.
Since Kingston was in recession when the administrative center moved to Montreal in May 1844, the city council was worried about paying for large buildings and began renting space. Tenants include post office, customs office, Mason, Orange Order, sedan, dry goods store, amateur theater, Mechanics Institute, Bank of North America England, and Free Church of Scotland. The west wing is rented for lectures, meetings, bazaars and balls. The welfare recipient is placed in the basement but this proves to be unsuccessful and the tenant evicted.
The porch at the front entrance was removed in 1956 due to damage but was restored in 1966. To commemorate the affordability of Kingston in 1973, the interior of the building was renovated and restored.
The Memorial Hall, located in the north wing, includes twelve stained glass windows that pay tribute to those who battled in several First World War battles.
Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister, was in the state after his death on June 6, 1891.
Maps Kingston City Hall (Ontario)
Police Headquarters
Kingston police set up their headquarters in the basement of City Hall as soon as the building opened in 1844. It consisted of a large room, four cells and a Police Court. In the early 1900s, the police station and the Police Court moved to the main floor. In 1952 the police stations moved to two floors of the attached Market Building, which had been renovated. Police detention cells are located on the main floor, while the second floor is housed in the main office and the Magistrates Court. As the force expanded, it outperformed the allocated space and the police headquarters moved into a separate building, completed in 1972. It has since moved to a larger place.
Market Square
Springer Market Square, located just behind the town hall, has a seasonal farmer's market, Kingston Public Market, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from April to November, although in the early years the market is held in summer and winter. This is the oldest public market in the province. An antiques market operates in the square on Sunday. The square was revitalized during 2005-07, creating an outdoor skating rink and small amphitheatres in the courtyard north and south of the town hall.
The Market Square was created as part of the original city plan of 1784 and was an informal market location founded in 1788. The square was initially extended to the waterfront. It is the only location in Kingston where farmers can sell their crops, carried by carts or carts. Kingston Public Market was officially established by the City of Kingston in 1801, and the rules and regulations were proclaimed in May 1811. It is a trade and commerce center in the city and through 19th century public buildings, hotels and shops developed. around the square including Kingston City Hall which was built in 1844. As the city grew, the market came to consist of dilapidated wooden stalls known as chaotic markets, which were destroyed, along with many of the surrounding buildings, in the Great Fire of 1840 After the fire, the market area is rebuilt with a new market building, which is attached to the new town hall. The market was handed over to the city in 1848.
In 1758 the British infantry Colonel John Bradstreet used the site when they bombarded Fort Frontenac France during the Battle of Fort Frontenac. The square is the location where the first Canadian Lieutenant Governor Top, John Graves Simcoe, proclaims the 1791 Constitution Act which establishes Upper Canada as a separate jurisdiction, where the commencement of the 1812 War was announced, and in 1867, is the location where the Confederate of Canada was proclaimed. The square was also used as a gathering place for soldiers who participated in the North-West Uprising and fought in the First and Second World Wars.
Archaeological investigations that occurred in 2002 and 2003 in preparation for the revitalization project found evidence of old commercial buildings, old markets and market wings, remnants of parts of nearby Fort Frontenac, and signs of two major fires occurring in 1840 and 1865.
Market Square was renamed "Springer" Market Square in 2008 to recognize a $ 1 million donation to City of Kingston by the Springers to help pay for the revitalization of the square.
Confederation Park
Confederation Park, associated with Kingston City Hall, separates the town hall from the beach. Founded in 1967 in an earlier-industrial waterfront land, it includes a large arch with fountains and a Marina Confederation Basin. The former Kingston and Pembroke Railway (K & amp; P) which used to function as the southern end of the now-defunct line is now a visitor information center operated by the Chamber of Commerce. A restored historic locomotive, "Sir John A. Spirit", recalls past roles of Kingston's past in locomotive manufacture.
Market Battery
A fortress known as Battery Market, located on the waterfront right in front of City Hall where the Confederate Garden is located. It was completed in 1848 due to tensions between the United States and Britain during the Oregon Crisis. Battery Market is one of the few bastions of Kingston built during this period. Thick outer walls, or sea walls, on the harbor are extended 20 feet above the water and include a symbol for cannon, while the inner wall, which includes the entrance, complements the battery enclosure in the west. In the 1870s, after the Imperial forces retreated from Kingston, the inner wall was removed and the location became a park. The large outer wall was removed in 1885 and the land was leased to the C & amp; P. Battery wall has been restored to illustrate the history of the site.
Appearance In popular culture
Kingston City Hall appeared in the 1999 HBO movie, Vendetta.
Kingston City Hall also appears briefly as an unnamed government building in Buffalo, New York, in 2015's Crimson Peak.
See also
- Frontenac County Court House
- Kingston Police
References
- Notes
External links
- Kingston City Hall
- Kingston Public Market
- Springer Market Square
- Market Square webcam
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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