Marquette’s Old City Hall is shown above circa 1940s. (Photo courtesy of Marquette Regional History Center)

Early Marquette municipal governments led a nomadic existence. The first town hall, on Spring Street, was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1868 shortly after it was purchased. For a while, the offices were relocated to rooms in Coles’ Hall on South Front Street. Later they moved to a little brick building on Spring Street. which had been built by Peter White as a temporary bank. But as the city grew, various municipal departments came to be housed in several places. To consolidate all the offices into one location the construction of a new city hall was proposed in the early 1890s. Despite a national recession, a special election to raise a $50,000 bond issue to pay for the building was held in July 1893.

A Mining Journal editorial before the election said in part: “It is hoped the issue will pass because the city offices are scattered all over town. The city treasurer is in the hose house, the controller in the Savings Bank Building and the attorney in the Nestor Block. Water bills are payable at Wilkinson’s Bank, electric light bills at Pickands’ coal office, there is no adequate vault for central storage and the whole system is ridiculous for a city of Marquette’s wealth and importance.” Although less than half the registered voters turned out for the election, those that did solidly supported the bond issue 622 to 101.

The location chosen for the new building at 204 W. Washington St., was just west of the recently erected sandstone and brick U.S. Customs House and Post Office. The city council approved plans submitted by Andrew Lovejoy and Edward Demar that blended Second Empire, Renaissance Revival and Richardsonian Romanesque architecture. After some difficulty in obtaining bids under the specified budget of $50,000, Emil Bruce of Milwaukee was selected as the general contractor. The bond specified, among other things, that the structure was to be built of Marquette brownstone and lumber, with the brick manufactured here and local labor employed as much as possible so that “every workman, merchant and manufacturer in town will have a chance to benefit, providing their prices are right and it will be of great benefit to the city, especially in these hard times.” In fact, the construction provided a much needed boost to the local economy, including the reopening of an abandoned quarry in south Marquette to produce the necessary sandstone.

The laying of the cornerstone on May 14, 1894 was quite a festive occasion: local businesses closed for the afternoon, there was a mile long parade, and even a banquet. The building was completed the following winter and consisted of three stories on a raised foundation. The basement housed the police department, boiler, coal bins and store rooms. Off the main hall on the first floor were the offices for the mayor, recorder and treasurer plus the police court and the vaults. Up a broad flight of stairs, the second floor housed the city attorney, street commissioner, engineer, and health officer. The premier room in the building was the two story council chamber which featured a large gallery and a decorated ceiling. The third floor was monopolized by a spacious assembly hall where a dance was held to celebrate the formal opening in February 1895.

The site of the city hall had previously been the site of three different public schools and the building soon proved its worth to the entire community by reverting to its former educational function. In 1899, classes were held for the 61 students of the new Northern Normal School (now Northern Michigan University) before the first building on campus was finished. And in February the following year, classes were temporarily held on the second floor after the high school on Ridge Street burned down. The third floor was also used as a drill location for the home guards during World War I.

Erecting a new city hall at the height of a depression put a strain on the city’s treasury. It took 28 years to pay off the $50,000 bond issue; by the time that occurred, the interest had amounted to more than the original cost of the building. The building served the city for 80 years, before the city once again outgrew the facility. The new city hall on the corner of Baraga and Fourth was built in 1974 and the old building was sold in 1975. The new owner, local businessman Peter O’Dovero, restored and renovated the building, creating office space. Today it is still used as office space and is newly renovated following a water leak this past winter. Despite its age, old city hall still stands as a wonderful reminder of Marquette’s past.