City reopens Old City Hall

The pigeons are still around, but after more than a decade of spurned developer bids, failed public-art proposals and general disrepair, they are no longer the primary tenants of Chico’s Old Municipal Building.

On Tuesday (May 12), Mayor Ann Schwab rededicated the refurbished building during a ribbon cutting and open house (pictured). Now home to a police substation and soon the city’s Housing and Neighborhood Services Department, the former City Hall was brought up to code with its distinct charm intact by general contractor Sunseri Construction.

Much of the original wood paneling and wainscoting was utilized, and even the bars from the old police holding cell are still in place. A bench carved out of wood from the Hooker Oak trees sits near the tiled lobby across from the huge Regulator clock that was dedicated in memory of late Councilwoman Coleen Jarvis.

The substation is now open for business, and the public is encouraged to drop by to see the building.