Description of Historic Place

The Seaforth Town Hall is located at 72 Main Street South, on the east side of Main Street South, south of Market Street, in Seaforth, in the Municipality of Huron East. The three-storey civic building was constructed in 1893-94.

The property was designated, by the former Town of Seaforth (now Municipality of Huron East) in 1977, for its heritage value, under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, By-law 1058.

Heritage Value

Located on Main Street South, in the downtown of Seaforth, the Seaforth Town Hall is a prominent landmark. It is visible from much of the surrounding area.

The Seaforth Town Hall is associated with the early development of Seaforth. It originally housed the fire hall on the main storey, town offices on the second storey and an auditorium on the third storey. It was also the home of the Mechanics Institute.

The original Town Hall was located at the intersection of Market and Jarvis Streets, but burnt down on August 23, 1891. Young and Causey of Stratford was awarded the work of replacing the building, in a new location, at an estimated cost of $8,250, following heated debate on the type of building and cost. The finished cost, however, was closer to $10,000.

The Seaforth Town Hall is a good example of late-nineteenth century civic architecture. The style demonstrates a simple version of Romanesque Revival, commonly utilized for administration buildings. A key feature is the central tower that projects from the main part of the building. The front entrance, hidden beneath the gabled porch, has a tall round-arched opening. The round arch is also echoed throughout the design, in the windows, window hoods and the original doorway opening to the fire hall. Subtle decoration was also added, utilizing raised banding and decorative panels.

Source: Town of Seaforth By-law 1058.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that reflect the heritage value of the Seaforth Town Hall include its:
- prominent location on Main Street
- footprint which divides the building into functional spaces
- date plaque reading “Seaforth Town Building A.D. 1893”
- three-storey red brick exterior
- gabled roof
- central tower
- tall, round-arched opening
- round arches of the windows and window hoods
- projecting frontispiece featuring the main entrance
- original doorway opening to the fire hall
- louvered windows