Description of Historic Place

The New Westminster City Hall is a long, symmetrical, two-storey building that sits on a rise overlooking the Downtown. All four facades have regular rows of inset windows between tall narrow concrete pillasters. The main entrance, facing Royal Avenue, is grandly designed with flat marble pilasters, heavy brass door frames, and windows that reach the full height of the building. The foyer is two storeys high and has walls of horizontal sandstone, alternating with portions faced with wood.

The exterior landscape design consists of symmetrical planting beds and trees adjacent to the building, and a large ceremonial lawn that sweeps down from the building to Royal Avenue. The lawn, concrete steps and relocated cenotaph are separated from the building by an access driveway.

Heritage Value

Constructed in 1953 and designed by architect A.C. Smith, New Westminster City Hall is valued for its architecture and its cultural significance.

New Westminster City Hall is an excellent example of the Modern style that was emerging at the time, in a manner that displays the plain surfaces and cubic volumes of early Modernism. While it looks back to the Modern Classicism of the 1920s and 1930s, it differs from it by eliminating both classical and geometric ornamentation of the Art Deco manner. Its clean, simple, yet strong lines speak to strength and solidity; an image that ideally translates to public confidence in the work that goes on within its walls.

The strength of the design is carried through to the interior space of the main foyer, which is accessed through heavy glass doors that still have their original brass frames and hardware. The foyer opens up the full height of the building to a coffered ceiling. The symmetry of the exterior continues inside and is emphasized by the main staircase, which goes up a half level and splits left and right to reach the second floor mezzanine. The side walls have their original sandstone application, although one side has been opened up for counter space. The remainder of the walls are covered in wood panelling. Decorative planting units bracket the stairs and are covered in marble to match the entry way.

Of equal value to the architecture of the building is the Council Chamber, which is a large cubic space that is entered by original glazed brass-framed doors. The entryway is low, causing the public to walk under and then out into the main section of the room. The walls are faced with large, specially-cut panels of oyster walnut. The wall behind the Mayor's dias is covered in square blocks of black walnut that alternate in the direction of the grain so as to create a subtle checkerboard pattern. The light fixtures in the ceiling and the sconces on the walls are all the original copper fixtures, that were retrofitted in the 1990s to use energy efficient light bulbs. The wooden pews for public seating and the square walnut desks for councillors are all original, as are the green leather chairs for the councillors.

The building is valued for its association with architect Allen C. Smith, best known for his grand and modern civic building designs, and most notable in New Westminster for designing the original Woodward's building and Saint Mary's Hospital.

New Westminster City Hall is also important for its association with New Westminster's continuing evolution as a modern city. The relocation of City Hall into a new modern building up the hill from Columbia Street marks the trend that saw a movement from Downtown to Uptown.

The building and its site are important historically as part of Tipperary Square, originally intended as land for the provincial legislature, but subsequently not required, when Victoria was given capital city status instead. This event continues to be an important aspect of New Westminster's history. The site later became the location of the Duke of Connaught High School. When the City Hall was built in 1953, it was described as 'palatial' and fulfilled citizen's expectations of it to convey the importance of the City of New Westminster.

Source: City of New Westminster Planning Department

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of New Westminster City Hall include its:

Context, Siting and Landscape
- location on a rise of land, facing south
- simple plantings that complement the building
- formal stair, lawn and plantings, with city cenotaph

Architectural Elements
- horizontal massing and grand scale
- formal entry stair
- recessed main entry
- two-storey glazing of main entry, with heavy brass-framed glass doors
- concrete construction material
- horizontal window bands with smooth concrete pilasters

Interior Features
- wood and sandstone walls
- marble-faced planters
- layout and situation of main entry foyer, staircases and hallways
- height and recessed design of foyer ceiling
- Council Chamber with wood panelling, original light fixtures and sconces, original brass-framed glass doors, original wooden pews and councillor desks, original green leather chairs, and raised Mayor's dias