It was a perfect day to mark a milestone in the history of a community.
Under bright blue skies, with comfortable temperatures, a crowd gathered in George Zegouras Market Square
to celebrate the 150th birthday of Belleville City Hall.
The structure was built as a two-storey market building in 1873 and in 1877 it became a city hall.
A market was on the ground floor with offices on the second.
In the late 1980s, local firm Bel-Con Engineering Ltd., and most notably architect Bill White, added two floors
and 10,000 square feet of new space to the heritage building, managing to do so while preserving many of the original architectural features.
At Saturday’s celebration, Mayor Neil Ellis and Heritage Belleville Chair Karen Fisk paid homage to Mr. White who passed away last month at the age of 82.
Chair of Heritage Belleville Karen Fisk. (Photo: Quinte News)
Fisk also said it was of interest that the birthday of City Hall was in June, which has become PRIDE month, saying that famed gay playwright and speaker, the sharp-witted Oscar Wilde, gave a presentation on the second floor of City Hall in 1882.
Mayor Neil Ellis said, “It’s not lost on me, or my colleagues, the history we are walking through every day that we work at City Hall.”
With a dramatic flourish, Mayor Neil Ellis gets set to cut an amazing birthday cake. (Photo: Quinte News)
People dressed in period costumes toured visitors through City Hall. Cake and refreshments were available and entertainment was provided by Andy Forgie.
Find more on the history of Belleville City Hall here.
(Photo: Quinte News)
