Former Guelph City Hall

As part of the transformation of the Guelph Civic Administration Centre, GBCA was retained to renovate the historic City Hall. Designed by prominent architect William Thomas the building is a fine example of mid-19th century Renaissance Revival architecture. Constructed in 1856-57 the building is noted for its stone carving and its use of the locally quarried limestone. Designated in 1978 under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, the building was also declared a National Historical Site in 1984.

Now serving as Guelph’s Provincial Offences Court, the rehabilitated, barrier-free City Hall building anchors the rejuvenated civic centre of Guelph. Whereas the building formerly served as the seat of municipal government, it now houses municipal staff that provides administration services for the Ontario Court of Justice. The challenge for GBCA was to accommodate a courthouse programme within the existing two-storey heritage building. Working closely with the City of Guelph, the Ministry of the Attorney General and the Ontario Heritage Trust, GBCA produced a design that included three courtrooms, public waiting areas, judicial chambers, secured holding areas for detainees, prosecutor’s offices, and an administration area. GBCA ensured that the unique requirements for each user group were met within the existing structure, while also designing a discrete, sympathetic addition to the rear. A new interior colour scheme was devised to meet the city’s barrier-free requirements for colour contrasts.

Over time, many of the building’s heritage features had been lost or hidden. It was GBCA’s intent to expose original interior elements that had survived and restore certain elements that had been altered or damaged. Structural challenges were also overcome during the construction period. The discovery of large unreinforced openings in two original stone foundation walls necessitated a creative solution that incorporated them into the elevator shaft walls, thus leaving them in-situ while ensuring their structural integrity.

The adaptive reuse of the former City Hall was coordinated with the construction of the new City Hall next door. GBCA in association with Moriyama & Teshima were architects for that project, which was completed in 2009.