Back In Time: Re-Visiting Historical Waterloo Region

[MacBerry]

I have no memory of wailing and gnashing of teeth when the Waterloo hall came down.

And yet ... was the Kitchener city hall really more worthy of preserving?  Personally, I don't see the big difference in aesthetics.

The concept of the preservation of architecture for the future was never something talked about in public because no one really cared about heritage until about the 1990s (my best guess).  Cities or towns didn't have funds or a willingness to preserve. I am not a big proponent of what most people call heritage buildings or architecture but I truly wish the Kitchener City Hall had been saved.

We went  every year I can remember to see the most amazing Christmas manger scene (see right side of the photo).

As you can see here Kitchener City Hall was a masterpiece of external architecture (built in 1924).

Kitchener City Hall decorated for Christmas

100-160 King St E, Kitchener, ON N2G 2K8, Canada

1 January 1947








Waterloo Library Archives:
The “old” Kitchener City Hall was designed by Kitchener’s own W.H. E. Schmalz, architect , and opened in 1924. Facing King St. E. just east of Frederick St., it replaced the Town Hall built in 1869 on the same general site. It was demolished in 1973 to make way for the “Market Square” retail centre and parking garage at the corner of King and Frederick Streets. The clock tower was removed and now stands in Victoria Park. The City Hall was always elaborately decorated at Christmas and public carolling was common during the Christmas season. This photo shows the City Hall decorated for Christmas, 1947. The cenotaph can be seen at the left.