This photograph is the last in the Great Northern Exhibition parade series from September 25th, 1914 and features the Citizens’ Band with the town hall in the background. In 1889 C.J. Gibson and Henry Simpson of Toronto were appointed to design a new town hall for Collingwood. At the end of its construction, the new town hall had a two-day grand opening in June 1890, for which everyone dressed in their finest to enjoy the Marciano Italian Orchestra and a grand ball. Just two months later, a fire broke out that affected both the original structure on the site and the newly-built town hall. The inadequate structure previously housing the town offices was sacrificed to save private property. Collingwood’s new town hall was severely damaged, but was immediately rebuilt. Local architects Fred T.Hodgson and Thomas Kieswetter undertook the reconstruction, making several improvements to the original plan. The rebuild was completed in 1891. Surprisingly, the town hall tower remained without a clock until 1951, when a clock was donated by Mr. and Mrs. Frank Courtice, the namesakes of today’s Courtice Crescent on Collingwood’s west side.
Huron Institute No. 42, Collingwood Museum Collection X970.731.1
Remember This is a weekly series of historic photographs submitted by the Collingwood Museum to CollingwoodToday.ca. These photographs were originally collected and documented by the Huron Institute in an historical catalogue entitled Huron Institute Paper and Records: Volume III. Much of Collingwood’s early history has been preserved due to the dedication and foresight of the early museum’s founders, namely its secretary-curator David Williams, upon its establishment in 1904.
