Ariel W.
Yelp
When the Town of Homestead was incorporated on January 27, 1913, there wasn't a town hall where city officials could meet. The newly formed town decided to use Sistrunk Hall, a wooden building located just west of the 1911 Bank of Homestead. It became the first Homestead Town Hall but it burned down on September 7, 1916. After the fire the Town Council decided to build their own town hall. Miami architect Harold Hastings Mundy was hired to design the building. Mundy was born in 1878 in Ontario, Canada. He worked as the architect for the Dade County School district where he designed Coconut Grove Elementary School, Robert E. Lee Junior High School, and Miami Edison High School. John F. Umphrey who had built a number of buildings in the area was awarded the contract to build the town hall for $4,418.00, doors excluded. He completed the building in 90 days.
The lower floor near the front of the building housed the city fire department, fire trucks and a hose-drying room. The rear area held the police station and jail cells. There were four jail cells for men while the jail cells for female prisoners were in a separate building located in back of the Town Hall. Municipal offices, the city's clerk office, mayor's office, and the city council chambers were on the second floor. A small one story addition to the south, at 41 N. Krome Ave., is now used as an entrance to the museum. It was added in 1924 as offices for the County Agricultural Agent and the Redland District Chamber of Commerce.
The police and fire departments eventually moved out and the town hall was remodeled in 1956. The jail cells were removed and the bottom floor was turned into office space for the growing city government. The building served as the Town Hall for almost 60 years before it was deemed too small.
In 1975, a new city hall designed by Edward M. Ghezzi , was built at 790 N. Homestead Boulevard. The new city hall dedication took place on November 23, 1975. The old town hall was used as a Senior Citizens Center and a State of Florida Department of Corrections, Bureau of Probation and Parole, office. In 1980, the town considered demolishing the building in order to make more room for parking. City council members Irving Peskoe and Ruth Campbell opposed the demolition. Through the efforts of Peskoe and Campbell, $61,000 was donated from members of the community and a State grant of $173,363 was obtained for the restoration of the building. Anyone who donate $250 or more was honored on an "Above and Beyond the Call" plaque mounted on the wall on the left side of the entrance to the Museum.
The museum was founded in 1994 through the efforts of Ruth Campbell who had deep ties to Homestead. Her husband was Harold "Pete" Campbell, who was a grandson of Thomas Alexander Campbell, who Campbell Drive is named after. Ruth was a Homestead city councilperson and a vice-mayor. On November 7, 1997, the historic Homestead Town Hall was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. After 23 years of serving on the town council Ruth retired in June of 2017. She passed away on May 7, 2019.
The museum contains displays of historical artifacts, copies of photographs of early families and places, a library, and archives open to researchers. There are books by local historians for research and for sale. One of the most popular exhibit is the City of Homestead's original 1924 American LaFrance fire truck, which was restored by private citizens in Tampa Bay. The truck is now back home in it's original building. I love how this historic building was saved and repurposed into a history museum. If you are interested in the history of Homestead, the resources offered here are a great place to start. The museum is open Tuesday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Admission is free.
