Excerpt from
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratford_City_Hall:
Stratford City Hall is the city hall of Stratford, Ontario, and a National Historic Site of Canada. It sits amidst the city's business district, on a triangular town square.
The original town hall was built in 1856 and incorporated space for market stalls and other stores, in addition to providing space for a concert hall, police station, fire department, and council chambers. The building was destroyed by fire in 1897.
A competition was held for the design of a new city hall, with two winners announced, one incorporating the remains of the previous structure, one for a wholly new building. The latter was selected, and was completed in 1900. The building was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1976.
Built in the "Jacobean end" of the Queen Anne Revival style, the building exhibits an eclectic combination of features, including gables in Flemish Renaissance style, a classical cupola, and panelled chimneys. Each end of the building has a dodecagonal base, the central portion a hexagon, and the clock tower a circle. A restoration completed in 1974 updated the auditorium and increased office space.
The exterior brickwork is a dark red, and was the third choice for the building. The architects had planned on using a buff-coloured brick, and city councillors preferred the pale colour of the original town hall. The red was chosen after a local brickyard over-fired its white bricks. The trim is in sandstone, and the large plinth is limestone.
The main entrance is flanked by two terracotta seals, one depicting a train symbolizing industry, and the other depicting a beehive symbolizing enterprise, mounted in pilasters. Above the door is a semi-circular arch window framed by a banded voussoir.
