1927 Denton City Hall

Duane's take

The way I tell it, I'm drawing straight from the official marker — so here's what the record says about the 1927 Denton City Hall. Now, every town worth its salt eventually outgrows its britches, and Denton, Texas was no exception. For thirty-three years — from 1894 all the way to October of 1927 — the city's official business was conducted in a red brick building that had been standing since 1877, sitting right there on the corner of Oak and Bolivar streets.

Thirty-three years of mayors, ordinances, and civic squabbles under that one roof. But Denton kept growing, the way Texas towns have a habit of doing, and by the early twentieth century, that old building just wasn't going to cut it anymore. So in 1927, the city turned to a prominent Fort Worth architectural firm — Van Slyke and Woodruff — and said, build us something worthy.

And worthy is exactly what they delivered. The firm designed the new city hall in the Spanish Renaissance style, which was having quite the moment across the Southwest in the twenties. Think white brick walls, ornamental stone embellishments, arched windows, a tiled roof — the whole thing reminiscent of South Texas missions.

Two stories and a basement, standing like it had always belonged there. Now here's the detail that'll make you smile. The original plan called for a belfry — not for church bells, mind you, but to hold the fire alarm bell.

Because right there in the rear of that elegant Spanish Renaissance building, with its arched windows and its mission-church roofline, sat the fire station. The firefighters and the city clerks, sharing a building for decades. That arrangement held all the way through the 1970s, until a new fire station was finally built nearby and the two operations went their separate ways.

The dedication ceremony on October 8, 1927 was no small affair. Governor Dan Moody himself made the trip, standing alongside Mayor B. W.

McKenzie and a gathering of local and state dignitaries. When that building opened its doors, Denton knew it had something to be proud of. And proud they were, especially come Christmastime.

Starting in the late 1920s, the city hall became famous for its annual Christmas decorations — displays that drew thousands of viewers every single season, year after year, clear through the 1960s. Thousands of people making a point to come see a building dressed up in lights. That's not just civic pride.

That's love. Of course, time marches on. In 1969, the city offices packed up and moved to the O'Neil Ford-designed Municipal Complex over in Civic Center Park — what folks now call Quakertown Park — on McKinney Street.

That complex included a civic center, municipal pool, library expansion, and a new city hall. The old building on the corner suddenly found itself without a purpose. But here's where the story takes a turn worth savoring.

In 1970, the Denton Community Theatre moved in. They set up in the auditorium and started putting on performances, and they called the place the Firehouse Theatre — a nod, of course, to those decades of fire bells and engine bays out back. The theater company held that stage until 1981, when the city decided the building's next chapter would be the police department.

Interior renovations began in 1982, and the old girl was transformed once more. From city hall to firehouse to theater to police station — one building, wearing every hat a town could ask of it. In 2015, the Texas Historical Commission made it official with a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark designation.

Some buildings just refuse to be forgotten, and in Denton, this one earned that right about a hundred times over.

What the marker says

From 1894 until October 1927, the Denton City Hall was housed in an 1877 red brick building located at the corner of Oak and Bolivar streets. The rapid growth of Denton in the early 20th century called for a newer and more spacious building. In 1927, a new city hall was designed by the prominent Fort Worth architectural firm Van Slyke and Woodruff in the Spanish Renaissance style, a very popular style in the Southwest during the twenties. Reminiscent of South Texas missions, the white brick building with ornamental stone embellishments, arched windows and tiled roof has two stories and a basement. The original plan included a belfry to hold the fire alarm bell because the fire station occupied the rear area of the building. This arrangement lasted through the 1970s until a new fire station was built near the city hall. Governor Dan Moody, Mayor B. W. McKenzie and other local and state dignitaries attended the dedication ceremony on October 8, 1927. In 1969, city offices moved to the O'Neil Ford-designed Municipal Complex which consisted of the civic center, municipal pool, library expansion, and city hall, located in Civic Center Park (now Quakertown Park) on McKinney Street. In 1970, the Denton Community Theatre moved into the old city hall and used the auditorium for performances. This facility was called the "Firehouse Theatre" and occupied the space until 1981 when the city decided to move the police department into the building. Interior renovations began in 1982. The city hall was known for its annual Christmas decorations that started in the late 1920s and continued through the 1960s, attracting thousands of viewers each Christmas season. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2015