Athens City Hall’s 150th spotlights restoration, local push to preserve an adaptable civic landmark

A Government Channel documentary produced with the City of Athens says Athens City Hall, built after its cornerstone was laid in August 1874 and opened in June 1875, has served as a hub of local government and community life for more than 150 years. The film collects archival photos and interviews to argue the building’s architecture and uses merit continued investment to keep it in civic use.

"This building is an example of heritage worth preserving," said Tom O'Grady, director of outreach at the Southeast Ohio History Center, in the program. Interviewees in the film note the hall’s many functions over time — a mayor's office and city council chambers, a post office and barber shop, an opera house, and a fire station — and describe how those layers reflect Athens’ civic growth.

The documentary recounts the building’s early years and economic role: the second floor once housed an opera house that could seat several hundred and drew touring acts; first-floor commercial tenants helped fund upkeep. The film also documents a period when demolition was considered, and subsequent local decisions — including a first 1% income tax and construction of a downtown parking garage — that helped fund renovations and keep the hall in Uptown Athens.

Steve Patterson, identified in the program as Athens mayor and former council member, said renovations in the late 1960s and early 1970s added a floor and elevator and allowed municipal court and council chambers to be accommodated inside the building. The film cites an estimated cost of just under $150,000 for a 1950s remodel and nearly $230,000 for a later renovation in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The movie highlights preservation work tied to the building’s 150th anniversary, including restoring and rehanging artifacts and making interior spaces more publicly accessible. "We need to continue to invest in this building to continue to improve it," one interviewee said, reflecting the documentary’s central argument that the hall’s architectural and civic history strengthens the community’s sense of place.

The program closes with credits naming Jason Dudash as producer-director and Bernard Jones as narrator. The documentary, copyrighted 2025, was produced by TGC, the Government Channel, with the City of Athens.