All HPL Branches are closed Canada Day, Tuesday, July 1. Extended Access is not available. The following Bookmobile visits are also cancelled on July 1st:
Regular service hours resume Wednesday, July 2.
Starting today, Tuesday, June 24, the Medical Officer of Health for the City of Hamilton has issued an Extended Heat Warning. All HPL Branches are Cool Places during our open service hours. www.hpl.ca/hours
Study Halls are taking a summer break after Thursday, June 26. The service will resume in early September.
www.hpl.ca/study-halls
The computer lab on the 1st floor is currently out of order. There are limited public computers available on the 2nd floor. Printing and photocopying are still available. We apologize for the inconvenience.
The parking lot elevator at Terryberry Branch is not working. Members will need to use the accessible ramp at the Mohawk entrance and the inner elevator. We're working to get it fixed quickly.
Please note that the audio volume levels on our public computers are having issues. The estimated time of disruption is unknown at this time. Thank you for your patience.
The accessibility ramp at Mount Hope Branch is damaged. The handrail is not available. The ramp will not be available while being repaired. We aim to fix it quickly.
Due to the ongoing roof repair project, noise and parking disruptions are expected to continue until the end of June. Thank you for your patience.
Please be aware of online phishing attempts impersonating Hamilton Public Library and Library Staff. HPL does not solicit paid freelance opportunities through social media or other messaging applications. HPL does not request personal or banking information through social media or require financial compensation when reviewing job applications. Please report phishing schemes to communications@hpl.ca. If you think you are a victim of fraud, please call the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
The tearing down of houses for the new city hall site began in June of 1958. The $9,400,000 project turned the first sod on July 2, 1958 (67). Mayor Jackson drove the steam shovel and Joseph Pigott took home movies (68). Meanwhile, the city hall committee was appointing a subcommittee to prepare a list of furniture that should be kept from the old city hall awaiting the creation of a city museum (69). Professor Eric Arthur was brought in as an expert to help them in their choices. Some of the material kept as mementos "to represent an era" included desks, chairs, benches, the large pictures of the former mayors, sections of brass railing, two fireplaces, two marble directories, clock mechanisms, doors, balusters, tables, clothes racks and the coronation chair (70).
Construction proceeded fairly smoothly but was not without its tragedies. On December 12, 1958, Ernest Quirt was killed when he fell through a hole in the scaffolding (71). On May 21, 1960, Lawrence Shaw died when the window washing machine he was using collapsed (72). Just prior to that, on May 15, 1960, two 200 pound slabs of marble fell off the building, one crashing to the ground and the other landing on a 7th floor canopy (72). The old city hall closed officially on October 28, 1960, and ownership transferred to Eatons. The new city hall opened for business at 8:45 a.m. on October 31, 1960 (73) . The official opening did not take place until November 21, 1960, when Governor-General Vanier officiated at the ribbon cutting.
Wrecking of the old city hall began in January of 1961 and was finished when the cornerstone was hauled away in June of that year. Most of the rock taken from the old city hall was reduced to rubble and used as fill for the wharf extension at Catherine Street. Some 500 tons of wall stone were placed in storage at King's Forest (74). It did not take long for the first problem with the new city hall to surface. In July of 1961 visitors to the city hall were puzzled to see red tape crisscrossing the automatic doors at the front of the building. This precaution followed the collision of a citizen with the front door: "[t]he glass didn't break but the citizen's head did and five stitches were needed to close a gash over his eye" (75). One of these doors subsequently exploded, showering the lobby with shards of broken glass (76). And then there was the marble, again. It seemed that the pins anchoring it could not hold it up and large chunks kept falling off.The City Hall soon became too small for the staff and various departments were moved to other accommodation throughout the city. The building itself was in serious need of repair as the city approached the new millennium. There were discussions on the feasibility of repairing the city hall or the alternative of tearing it down and starting over. There were even suggestions that the site be sold to a developer. In 2005 the City Hall was designated as a Heritage Site and in August of that year renovations began to restore the building to its former glory.
