Avon Unveils Restored 1924 City Hall, With a Courtroom Rising From the Old Gym

Avon opened the doors of its newly renovated City Hall to residents this weekend, giving the public its first real look at a project years in the making: a century-old schoolhouse reborn as the seat of city government. The open house, held Saturday, capped a move that started with the Building Department quietly relocating in late May and most administrative staff following in June, well before Saturday's public celebration.

The new municipal building sits at 36600 Detroit Road, inside what was once the Avon Village School, a 49,221-square-foot structure built in 1924. According to the Morning Journal, the open house allowed residents to tour the new offices and see firsthand how the historic building has been converted for civic use, including displays inside the former gymnasium featuring photographs of Avon Village School students and graduating classes.

Mayor Bryan Jensen said the city began weighing a relocation once the Avon Local School District started discussing a sale of the property, and that preserving the building while adding usable rooms and space made it an appealing option, per the same account. The school had already stopped operating as a school back in 2016 and had served as administrative offices for the district's Board of Education, which has since moved its own operations to Avon Heritage Elementary School, according to the Chronicle Telegram.

Why City Hall Had Outgrown Its Old Home

The city's previous City Hall sat at 36080 Chester Road, in a building originally constructed as a church before it was adapted for municipal offices. That space totaled just 8,924 square feet on a 1.33-acre lot, and per the Medina Gazette, it had only one conference room to serve the entire operation. City officials also pointed to traffic access hazards at the unsignalized intersection of Chester and Center Roads as a safety concern, particularly for senior citizens who had to navigate the busy crossing to pay utility bills in person.

Avon's population has climbed from 21,193 residents in 2010 to an estimated 25,317 by 2024, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, a surge of suburban growth that steadily strained the old converted-church facility. The council approved Ordinance No. 45-25, authorizing Jensen to purchase the 6.94-acre Detroit Road property from the school district for $1.7 million using the city's general fund, the Medina Gazette reported. Avon has said it intends to list the Chester Road property for commercial development once operations are fully relocated, using the proceeds to replenish the general fund, per the Chronicle Telegram.

A Gymnasium Becomes a Courtroom and Council Chamber

Even with staff already working out of the new building, renovations are ongoing. The former gymnasium is being designed to eventually become a council chamber and courtroom, and Jensen said in the Morning Journal's report that he expects that conversion work to wrap up within six months. Until then, the gym can also double as a community-events space, with furniture and equipment moved aside to make room for gatherings, and Avon City Council continues to hold its meetings at the former City Hall in the meantime.

Jensen said the renovated building can host community events, and that the second and third floors could offer additional opportunities for community use down the line, though the city is still seeking funding to renovate those additional portions of the building. The mayor emphasized that a building like this one should be preserved and actively used rather than left vacant, according to the Morning Journal's coverage of the open house.

Part of a Broader Historic Preservation Push

The Detroit Road campus isn't an isolated project. Directly across the street at 36675 Detroit Road sits the Jameson Homestead, built by a founding local family that arrived in the area in 1824. The city purchased that property in 2017, established the Jameson Homestead Community Garden there this year, and expects the homestead to eventually house the Recreation Department, according to the Chronicle Telegram.

The Village School acquisition also fits a pattern for Jensen's administration, which purchased the 1825 Wilbur Cahoon House on Stoney Ridge Road for $200,000 back in 2019 to serve as a local history museum, per the Chronicle Telegram's earlier reporting. Together, the properties are shaping a consolidated civic and historic corridor along Detroit Road, with the restored 1924 schoolhouse — wooden classroom doors and all — now serving as its anchor.