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Whitby's town hall is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Council and staff marked this occasion on Jan. 13 with cake and speeches by Mayor Don Mitchell and former mayors Des Newman and Jim Gartshore. Under Mayor Newman's leadership, plans to build a new municipal complex began as early as 1970, shortly after the amalgamation of the Town of Whitby proper and the Township of Whitby. The new building, it was said, would accommodate all municipal staff who were, at the time, scattered throughout various buildings in Whitby and Brooklin. Located on Rossland Road, it would also serve as a midway point on the former boundary between the town and township and would hopefully represent a white flag to those citizens still unhappy about amalgamation (there were many). The proposal, however, was not without its problems. In fact, there were so many political blunders and missteps that resulted in public outcry, the provincial government threatened to intervene in 1972. Eventually, the necessary approvals were obtained and construction began in 1975. The town hired renowned Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama, who also designed the Ontario Science Centre, Toronto Reference Library, and the Canadian embassy in Tokyo. The town hall was completed in late 1976 and officially opened by Mayor Gartshore on Jan. 8, 1977 in front of a crowd of 600. He called the new building a "people place" and hoped the space would be used for all the "worthwhile purposes of this community." It was expected that the community would use the meeting rooms, enjoy the gardens and grounds, and celebrate special occasions in the council chambers. Along the same lines, Moriyama hoped the building would become the "beating heart of Whitby." The new building consisted of two floors of open-concept office space totalling 32,000 square feet. It sat on seven acres of land to allow for future expansion. When town staff moved out of the former municipal building at 405 Dundas St. W., the space was entirely turned over for use by the Whitby Public Library. In his speech during the celebration earlier this month, Newman recalled that staff and council expected the building to serve the community for 25 years, "but here we are celebrating its service for 40 years through six administrations." Moriyama's structure at 575 Rossland Rd. E. was representative of a transitional time for the Town of Whitby. The newly-amalgamated town was finding its voice in the newly-formed Regional Municipality of Durham. It was balancing the past with the future, the suburban with the rural, and the new with the old. And while it once again seems as though the Town of Whitby has outgrown town hall, it's clear that municipal architecture is more than just buildings. It's about a community and its people. Sarah Ferencz is the archivist at the Whitby Public Library. Contact her at archives@whitbylibrary.on.ca durhamregion.com 4 The Citizen January 26, 2017 Whitby town hall celebrates 40th anniversary Sarah Ferencz Whitby Public Library archivist Tim Whittaker - Publisher Mike Johnston - Regional Managing Editor Fred Eismont - Director of Advertising Abe Fakhourie - Distribution Manager Cheryl Haines - Composing Manager CLASSIFIEDS 905-215-0442 ADVERTISING 905-215-0472 865 Farewell St., Oshawa ON L1H 7L5 Member: Ontario Press Council, OCNA, CCNA, LMA. All content copyright. A Metroland Media Group Ltd. Publication thecitizen Photo courtesy of the Whitby Public library WHITBY -- Construction began on the Whitby town hall building at 575 Rossland Rd. in 1975 and the site officially opened in 1977. This year marks its 40th anniversary. Metroland file Photo WHITBY -- The Whitby town hall building at 575 Rossland Rd. circa 2016. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the site officially opening in 1977.