Mount Pleasant's 1918 City Hall
The City of Mount Pleasant, since its first incorporation in 1900, has only had two City Halls. This building was the first one.
The City of Mount Pleasant, like any young adult getting a start in the world, suffered from tight budgets and lack of money for necessary projects like a waterworks and sewer system and other major capital outlays to fund the things required to build a town into a city. The City's leaders wisely delayed building a City Hall and Municipal Building until the City had installed necessary public services and was on a better financial footing. City Council meetings were held in the Mayor's private offices. After meeting in successive Mayor's private offices for 18 years, the first City Hall and Municipal Building was constructed in 1918 on the northeast corner of West Third Street and North Madision Avenue.
The new City Hall was actually a municipal building that contained city offices, the council chambers, and fire and police departments. It has been remodeled many times to accomodate a growing city since it was first built. The building housed Mt. Pleasant's first city offices, first city police department, the first Mt. Pleasant Public Library, and contained our third fire station. The second fire station was on the same site, but was torn down to build the city hall.
It was used until 1996, when the City moved into its current City Hall and Municipal Building at 501 North Madison, two blocks north of the original building. The City then sold the old City Hall to the First Baptist Church of Mt. Pleasant. The First Baptist Church has now begun construction on a new building of their own, and plans to move to a new location on Highway 49 east of Mt. Pleasant in the not-to-distant future.
Considering its age, the building's interior and exterior are in relatively good condition. We have been told that the roof may need work, but it is not in as bad of condition as some. Without actually measuring the building, we estimate that it contains about 8,000 square feet -- 4,000 downstairs and 4,000 upstairs.
The old city jail cells are still in the building, but the doors have been removed. The building also contains a vault near the front that once held the city's records in safe keeping.
Mt. Pleasant residents should encourage the First Baptist Church to either preserve this historic building themselves or to make it reasonably available to someone who will, with deed stipulations that it must be preserved as a historic building once they no longer need it.
Surely a use can be devised that will satisfy both the needs of the First Baptist Church and will insure the building's preservation for future generations. If this building is lost, Mt. Pleasant will lose a large piece of its history.
