650 Merchant St, Vacaville, CA 95688
The Vacaville Town Hall has a rich history. It was first proposed by the residents of Vacaville in 1893, when they were unhappy with their tiny jail and transportation to Fairfield County Jail for minor lawbreakers. Construction on the town hall finally began in 1907 after it had been approved at least twice before that year-in 1885 and 1889-due to lack of funds or disagreements over the location. The long wait paid off though because today's building is one worth visiting!
The Town Hall’s Rich History
The origins stretch back more than 150 years ago when people got frustrated with small jails and how far away criminals would have had to go through transportations if convicted as well as where major decisions should be held: What started out just being an idea became a reality 102 years later when a group of citizens proposed the idea for a town hall and small jail near the center of town on June 2nd, 1893.
At the time:
Vacaville's jail was a tiny wooden structure appropriate primarily for town drunks and minor lawbreakers were frequently transported to the Fairfield County Jail.
To solve this problem as well as provide more space for its rapidly expanding population, in 1893 citizens of Vacaville approached Solano county with plans to build both a prison and public office building on what is now known today as Constitution Plaza.
Over one hundred years later these two buildings still stand tall within downtown Vacaville even though they are vastly different from when first built due to upgrades throughout their lifetime.
In 1894 after many delays including funding shortages and an economic downturn brought about by The Great Depression construction began on "Constitution Hall" or Town Hall which would serve not only as a small county jail but also the local community center.
This was before town halls would have had all of today's features such as larger meeting rooms, classrooms, and gymnasiums for activities.
Town Halls tended to serve neighborhood groups, acting more like social clubs that discussed and debated topics that may affect their communities.
In 1897 after only two years of construction Vacaville's new home for lawbreakers opened on Main Street, north of Capitol Park (now Constitution Plaza) in downtown Vacaville.
It was later renamed the Solano County Jail when it reopened in 1905 with numerous changes made to accommodate an increasing number of prisoners: from 22 beds to 55, built nearly 20 feet longer than the original building, and served at capacity within a few months.
The Vacaville Reporter reported on July 20, 1907, that the town hall was finally completed. The 10,000 feet of steel rods and 1,015 sacks of cement were part of a construction process lasting 300 tons to complete--a huge undertaking for those days!
The Vacaville Town Hall became the home of a variety of different departments for the next 50 years. The town hall's first residents were police, court officials, and municipal council members who used it until they moved to larger premises around 1950. Firefighters also left their old firehouse for new facilities on Main Street by 1952.
In 1978, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Vacaville Heritage Council and the Solano County Genealogical Society now occupy Town Hall.
By Basil D Soufi - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22023379
Vacaville, California is blessed with some of the state’s most amazing, must-see landmarks. Here’s a list of some of our favorites:
Nut Tree
Vacaville Premium Outlets
Morningsun Herb Farm
Brazelton Ranch
Vacaville Museum
Lagoon Valley/Pena Adobe Regional Park
Cool Patch Pumpkins
Vezer Family Vineyard
All of these wonderful landmarks are located just a short distance from our historic location at 1669 East Monte Vista Avenue in Vacaville! Stop by for a visit anytime!