City of Brantford City Hall Restoration Project

Nominated for the Paul Oberman Award for Adaptive Reuse: Large-Scale/Team/Corporate

The Brantford City Hall Restoration Project at 58 Dalhousie Street blends the preservation of iconic cultural heritage with innovative design. The transition to a new City Hall was established as a Council Priority to meet the needs of the rapidly growing population in Brantford and reduce long term operational costs. Throughout the project, the City considered the legacy of the original building while working to meet the needs of the residents and employees of the City of Brantford.

58 Dalhousie has a rich history and a legacy of public service as a former federal building, built in 1915 to serve as a post office. It is an iconic part of the City of Brantford’s landscape, designed in the beaux-art style with a 6-storey tall clock tower, engaged ionic columns and stone work, and restored bronze lion statues. The façade has been preserved, with renovations to address structural issues and enhance architectural features without compromising the building’s cultural heritage status. The clock has been repaired and is now working for the first time in decades. The bell, originally constructed in England in the early 1900s and which had not rung in 40 years, has been restored with a new striker to allow it to ring again. While the exterior has been preserved, the interior of the new City Hall has been completely renovated. Efficient customer service was a priority in the design, with accessibility upgrades, a larger City Hall chamber to support public participation, and well-defined service channels. The new Brantford City Hall demonstrates how adaptive reuse projects can preserve and celebrate heritage, while still being innovative and future oriented.

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