The Bawcutt Centre

The Bawcutt Centre (formerly, the Paris Old Town Hall) is located at 13 Burwell Street, Paris, Ontario. It is one of the oldest civic Gothic buildings in Canada. The original structure was built in 1854 and consists of a basement, a first / ground / main floor, second / upper floor, and, a bell tower. A one-storey addition was put on the east side of the original structure in 1870. In 1954, the Mary Maxim Company purchased the property, and, in 1964, added a two-storey addition. 

• View the Paris Old Town Hall video (Source: The Paris Museum, Archives and Historical Society).

In October 2020, the former Paris Town Hall was designated as a national historic site.

Community initiatives

In recent years, community initiatives to save, preserve, and repurpose The Bawcutt Centre have evolved. This displays the passion and interest that the community has for this heritage landmark and supports the notion that the community will rally behind a more formal initiative to restore the building.

Over the past year, a number of positive steps have taken place to bring preservation of The Bawcutt Centre closer to reality. These steps included:

• Formation of a working group composed of volunteers, County of Brant Council Members, and County of Brant staff members
• Completion of a financial analysis for operational sustainability
• Completion of environmental assessments of the site
• Engagement of a significant donor
• Acquisition of the building
• Completion of a long-term vision for the landmark
• Completion of a design concept for the facility
• Designation as a national historic site

Acquisition of The Bawcutt Centre

In October of 2015, Council authorized acquisition of The Bawcutt Centre.

In December of 2015, Council entered into a Gifting Agreement (PDF) with Skystone Media to secure a $1,000,000 donation towards both acquisition and restoration of The Bawcutt Centre. The property was acquired in March of 2016 and The Bawcutt Centre Advisory Committee was formed.

There were a number of conditions in the acquisition, including:

• $750,000 was paid to the owner towards the $1,100,000 purchase price
• The balance owing of $350,000 to the owner is being paid in the form of a mortgage; this mortgage is payable over a 5-year term at an annual interest rate of 2.6% per annum, resulting in an annual mortgage payment of $75,000
• The County agreed to lease the main floor of the building back to the owner for $36,000 annually for a three-year term with the option for two additional one-year terms.

The Future of The Bawcutt Centre 

On Friday, September 24, 2021, the County of Brant and Brant County Public Library announced jointly that The Bawcutt Centre will become the new home of the library's main Paris branch.

The new main branch will feature accessible, open community spaces, study rooms and technology labs, while blending with heritage features like original brick and stone. The original opera hall will be restored and equipped for modern performances and live events.