Town Halls Before Amalgamation

On April 1, 1996, the City of Halifax, City of Dartmouth, County of Halifax, and Town of Bedford were amalgamated to form Halifax Regional Municipality. Halifax City Hall became the new municipality’s main civic centre, replacing each municipality's own city, town hall, administration building. Continue reading or use the links above to learn more about the history of each building.

Dartmouth

Dartmouth civic government was based in four different locations between 1873 and 1996.

Former Presbyterian church, King Street, 1873-1877

Dartmouth was incorporated as a town in 1873. Its first Mayor, William S. Symonds, presided over the inaugural Town Council meeting on May 23, 1873, held at his residence, known as “Gorham House,” on Church Street. Subsequent meetings were held there until the Town of Dartmouth purchased the former St. James Presbyterian church on King Street in July 1873.

Plans for the building included a fire station, school hall, and Town Hall. Several modifications were required to accommodate these functions, as the basement of the church would need to be raised for the engine house. On August 25, 1873, Mayor Symonds called a special Town Council meeting to present the case to ratepayers. Council approved $12,000 for the necessary work, though plans for the inclusion of a school were eventually abandoned.

Former Mechanics' Institute, 82 Ochterloney Street, 1877-1957

Calls for additional improvements to the first Town Hall came within a few years. The town population was growing, and more space was needed for Town Council and other offices, including a police station. Council discussions turned to finding a replacement in 1877.

They eventually settled on the former Mechanics’ Institute building (82 Ochterloney Street), built in 1846 in the Courthouse architectural style by local designers Johnathan Elliot and his son, Henry. Minutes from the March 16, 1877 council meeting record the decision to hire an architect to assess the costs of “fitting up” the former Institute into a Town Hall, which would include a council chamber, court room, and offices for the Town Clerk. The proposed plans and alterations were approved over the course of several meetings in April, and ownership of the Mechanics' Institute transferred to the Town of Dartmouth by the Institute’s trustees. 

The new Town Hall opened with a concert in October 1877. The renovated building also eventually housed the Police Station as well as offices for the Secretary of the School Board, the Dartmouth Housing Commission, the Office of the Tax Collector, and the Town Engineer.

82 Ochterloney Street served as Dartmouth’s Town Hall from 1877 to 1957. Throughout this period, Council often discussed repairs and alterations to maintain the aging building, as well as plans to construct a new Town Hall. It would take 80 years for those plans to become reality.

100 Wyse Road, 1957-1967

In 1956, Mayor I.W. Akerley felt a new town hall was needed as the population of Dartmouth was steadily growing and space was becoming scarce at 82 Ochterloney Street. Mayor Akerley was determined to build a modern building that would be large enough to house the expanding local government, a council chamber, and the Dartmouth Regional Library.

The new Town Hall at 100 Wyse Road officially opened on Saturday, December 28, 1957. It included space for all civic departments, an auditorium, and the Dartmouth Regional Library. Construction cost $275,000. Read more about the building in this brochure published for the opening.

In 1959, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip toured  Dartmouth Town Hall as part of their visit to Canada.

Council minutes from October 15, 1960, note that continued expansion of municipal departments had already led to overcrowding at 100 Wyse Road.  Dartmouth became a City when it annexed adjoining communities in 1961 and continued growth required more space. The building on Wyse Road was repurposed as part of a 1967 Centennial Project to house the Dartmouth Regional Library and the new Dartmouth Heritage Museum.

90 Alderney Drive, 1967-1996

On July 4, 1967, Dartmouth opened its fourth and final civic building at Ferry Plaza, Commercial Street (later 90 Alderney Drive). It consisted of four floors and featured an elevator. Council Chambers were located in a circular room on the lower ground floor alongside the Welfare and Recreation departments. At street-level were the main entrance, reception offices and the telephone operator. The second floor included the offices of the Mayor, Clerk Administrator, City Assessor, building inspector, and purchasing department. The City Planning Office and Engineering Department were located on the third floor. The cost of this new, modern City Hall was one million dollars. 

Council records from 1975 indicate there were plans to expand the building by two additional floors to consolidate all city administrative offices under one roof. A few ideas were considered, including building a new ferry terminal nearby, with potential office space for city staff. In the end, the proposed expansion fell through, and it was not until later, after Alderney Gate was purchased by the Halifax Regional Municipality, that a new ferry terminal was constructed, with additional space for city staff.

90 Alderney Drive continued to be used administratively by the Halifax Regional Municipality until the mid-200s when it sold the building. Other levels of government and businesses operate in the former civic building, including a spa with hot tubs where aldermen once debated in the unique circular Council Chambers.

Halifax County 

The Municipality of the County of Halifax was established on April 17, 1879, with the proclamation of The County Incorporation Act. From 1880 onward, Council meetings were held at the County Court House on Spring Garden Road.

In 1959, the County opened a new Administration Building on Dutch Village Road (later Joseph Howe Drive). Minutes from the December 9, 1959 council meeting illustrate the positive impact of this change:

Commenting on the new Municipal Administration Building, Warden Leverman said he hoped that all Councillors were as happy as he was to have a place which could be called "our own." He pointed out that there is yet some work to be done. He said that it had taken an heroic amount of work during the past few weeks to make occupancy possible at this time.

The Mayor's Office was for a time located next door in Egan House.

Both the Halifax County Administration Building and Egan House were sold following amalgamation.

Bedford

Bedford was a district within the County of Halifax until it was incorporated as a town in 1979. The first council meeting was held on November 14, 1979, at the Red Chamber of Province House in Halifax. Office space for administration and council chambers was then leased at the Bedford Tower Building (1496 Bedford Highway) and later at the RBC Building (1597 Bedford Highway). 

Over the years, there were several council discussions and plans to build a new facility, but the town was amalgamated into HRM before a the town hall was built.