Ponchatoula's City Hall, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana
Submitted to the USGenWeb Archives by Sandra McLellan, Feb. 2007
Special thanks to Jim Perrin for donating it to the archives.

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PONCHATOULA'S CITY HALL

BY JIM PERRIN, Local Historian

PART ONE

The erection of two large cypress lumber mills at the southern edge of Ponchatoula 
in 1920 led to many changes in the community.  The city government now had to 
service a town population that had quadrupled in a couple of years from about 
1,000 in 1920 to well over 4,000.  Progressive business leaders were predicting a 
population of "10,000 in 1930."  Although the ten thousand population figure was 
not reached, the dramatic increase that did occur presented problems and 
possibilities for Ponchatoula's leaders.

Among the community's needs were improved streets, water and sewerage services, as 
well as expanded police and fire protection.  Ponchatoula Mayor William Rufas 
Haight and the city council began to energetically address these needs.  A basic 
part of providing the needed services was the construction of a new and larger 
city municipal building.

Ponchatoula's existing city hall was a small two story frame building which sat on 
the southern edge of the 100 block of East Hickory Street.  The building was 16' x 
16' in size or about the same size as many living rooms in today's homes.  The city 
jail was on the first floor and the second story was the location of the city 
courtroom, the mayor's office, and the council meeting room. 

The jail was smelly and unsanitary.  The local newspaper in 1924 called it a 
"coop."  The inmates would yell at anyone nearby to get them out, bring them food, 
etc., and they could be heard by customers at nearby businesses.

City council meetings were held on the second floor with people squeezing into the 
usually smoke filled room.  Dr. E. M. Robards, a local physician and member of the 
council would position himself next to one of the few windows to lean out the 
window for an occasional breath of fresh air.

The city hall had been constructed in Hickory Street in the opening years of the 
twentieth century under the administration of Mayor Daniel A. Edwards {Mayor 
1902-1910}.  Mayor Edwards and the city council had discussed various sites for the 
city hall including the use of one of the city public squares.  There was 
opposition to buying a piece of private property as the location for the new 
building and the decision was made to just build the structure in the street.  The 
city streets had been designed by James Clark in 1854 to be 100 feet wide.  Thus 
the city hall was placed to the south side of East Hickory Street leaving plenty 
of room for wagons and buggies on the dirt street to pass along the side of the 
building.  For the next two decades as the population of the city remained stable 
the city hall and jail seemed at least adequate.

 By the fall of 1924, city leaders began planning for a new building that would 
serve as a city hall, police station, and home for the newly formed fire 
department.  Although some of what little equipment the Ponchatoula Volunteer Fire 
Department owned was stored under a shed on Railroad Square, it was not completely 
protected from the elements, and certainly not from the criminal elements.  In 
November 1924, someone stole a tire and rim, and the headlights from the city's 
only fire truck leaving the community with no fire protection until the items were 
replaced.

However great the need of a new city hall, the funds were not available to 
construct a new facility. Finally in January 1926 a bond election was called to 
decide if $50,000 in bonded indebtedness should be incurred to construct a new 
municipal building.  The voters of Ponchatoula approved the bond issue on February 
23, 1926, with 93% in favor of the measure. 

In March 1926, the city council discussed the selection of a site for the new city 
hall.  Seven pieces of property were submitted for the council's consideration and 
after deliberation on the prices and advantages of each site the council made a 
decision.  The property offered by local businessman Jacob R. Abels of the corner 
of Magnolia and Southwest Railroad Avenue was accepted by the council. 

In the days following the city council's decision, residents of the neighborhood 
in which the proposed city hall was to be constructed began to protest that 
decision.    The main objection of the residents was to the location of the city 
jail in their neighborhood.  They suggested in a petition signed by seventy 
individuals that the jail be separated from the city hall and fire station and 
located in another area.  A large crowd packed into the old city hall meeting room 
for the next council meeting and after an extended discussion the council agreed 
to consider separating the jail facility from the rest of the municipal building.

After considering that the bond issue had called for a combined city hall, fire 
station and jail, the city council in April 1926 decided to build the designed 
multi-use facility at a location that would not be as disagreeable to the citizens.  
The council selected two lots on the corner of West Hickory Street and Northwest 
Railroad Avenue to be the site of the new municipal building.  With funding 
approved by the voters and a site selected, rapid progress could be made to replace 
the old hall, which the local newspaper called, "a disgrace to the beautiful city 
of Ponchatoula."

Next: Building the new city hall.

PART TWO

In February 1926, the voters of Ponchatoula approved a $50,000 bond issue to 
construct a new municipal building that would included a meeting room for the 
council, mayor and clerk's offices, a jail, and fire station.  Mr. W. L. Barthel, 
a New Orleans architect was selected to design the building and prepare 
construction specifications.

After some controversy a site for the new building was selected on the corner of 
West Hickory Street and Northwest Railroad Avenue.  This corner which had been 
owned by the Biegel family for several decades had in recent times been acquired 
by Mrs. C. S. Adam.  Mrs. Adam sold the two lots on the corner to the city for 
$3,400.

The architect for the new building designed a two story brick structure of 45' by 
92' in size with the city offices, mayor's courtroom and jail on one half of the 
ground floor and the fire department on the other half of that floor.  The second 
floor would contain a spacious community hall which could accommodate about 500 
persons.

Bids for construction of the building were advertised but when they were opened in 
Oct. 1926 they were found to be much larger than the city's budgeted funds.  After 
rejecting these bids the city instructed Mr. Barthel to develop new plans for a 
smaller building. 

Construction bids were re-advertised and received by the city in Dec. 1926.  They 
were again all over budget, but were now very close to the funds the city had 
available.  The architect was told to again adjust the design and bids would be 
requested for the third time.  Finally in Jan. 1927, the firm of John M. Middleton 
of Hammond submitted a bid which was within the budgeted amount.  Middleton's low 
bid was to construct the municipal building which was to be 44' by 77' in size.

Excavation began soon after the contract was signed and the work progressed quickly 
with the concrete foundations being poured in March and April 1927.  The brick work 
on the first story was completed in early May and work on the roof structure was 
begun later that month.  The roof was completed in June and the interior 
construction took place in June and July.  The building was completed in August 
1927. 

When the architect was asked by the city council how much money would be left in 
the budget to buy furniture for the new building he told the council that there was 
no money left and that in fact an additional $181.80 was needed to pay for the 
contracted work.  Another $375 was also needed to pay for the concrete driveway to 
the fire station, but Mr. Middleton agreed to do the work for the city on credit.

On the afternoon of Aug. 16, 1927, Louisiana Governor Oramel H. Simpson dedicated 
the new city hall.  Miss Mattie Louise Robards and her orchestra provided the music 
for the occasion.  Ponchatoula Mayor William R. Haight presided during the ceremony 
which was attended by a large crowd of citizens.  Despite a rain shower, about 
2,000 persons attended the dedication including about a thousand public school 
students.

After the dedication and the reception that followed, a dance was held that
evening in the new second floor community hall.  The dance celebrated the 
completion of the new building and was also a fund raiser to buy needed items for 
the fire department.

Later that month the mayor and the city clerk supervised the movement of their old 
office furniture from the previous city hall in East Hickory Street to the new 
structure.  New furniture for the new building would have to wait until money was 
available. 

One of the items cut from the original design to reduce the building's cost was a 
mezzanine floor inside the fire department which had been designed to contain a 
dormitory and meeting room for the firemen.  After the completion of the building 
the city was able to find enough funds to construct the mezzanine floor.  Local 
contractor Harry J. Gabriel was given the job, and with a large work force was able 
to complete the project in mid-September.

Just before Christmas 1927, Mayor Haight and the city received a new counter in the 
clerk's office and in mayor's courtroom.  These attractive furnishings were made of 
Ponchatoula cypress and constructed by Steve Cowen with assistance from Leo Dykes 
and Spike Ragan.  Along with the hand-crafted counters, a shipment of new desks and 
chairs arrived to give the new building a very pleasing appearance.

The old city hall sitting in East Hickory Street was sold and removed in February 
1928.  Many citizens were happy to have the old eyesore removed.

The Ponchatoula municipal building of 1927 would stand as the center of justice, 
fire protection, and city administration for the next generation.  Eventually the 
needs of an expanding community would require the erection of a new municipal 
complex.  The old 1927 building was demolished and the present structure 
constructed on the historic corner of West Hickory and Northwest Railroad Avenue.

In recent years the city administration was relocated to the beautifully renovated 
Bohning's Building on the south side of West Hickory Street.  The fire department 
retained their station in the corner building but have since also expanded to a 
modern building on the corner of East Pine Street and North First Street.  With the 
move of the city administration across the street to the Bohning's Building, the 
Ponchatoula Police Department was able to utilize the additional space in the 
municipal building. 

From meeting in the old school house in 1877, to the Knights of Pythias Hall in the 
1890's, to a frame building sitting in a public street, the Ponchatoula City Hall 
and fire and police departments have developed with the community.  What the future 
holds for the several municipal buildings housing all the city services is 
uncertain, but if the history of the town is any measure, able leadership will 
continue to move "our Ponchatoula" forward.

Anyone with questions, comments, or suggestions for future articles, may contact 
Jim Perrin at 386-4476.  Note: If anyone has an image of the pre-1927 Ponchatoula 
City Hall that they would loan, please contact the editor of this newspaper.

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Caption for photograph of city hall. (found in the Ponchatoula Enterprise - 26 
Jul 2006.)

The new Ponchatoula City Hall and Fire Station of 1927 is shown on this post card 
image, which was one of a series of postal cards made during the late 1920's 
showing local landmarks.