plans being reviewed for building new city hall in bisbee, arizona

A fire in the fall of 2017 nearly destroyed the City Hall of Bisbee, Arizona, leaving nothing but a shell of the structure in its wake.

In the more than two years since, city officials have been discussing plans to demolish what’s left of the century-old, rectangular-shaped administration building.

In February, the city issued a Request for Proposals asking for ideas on how much it would cost to level and remove the three-story structure at 118 Arizona Street.

At the same time, plans have been informally aired regarding the construction of a new City Hall, which it is thought will take around $2 million to build.

Although it has also been proposed that the burned-out City Hall should be restored because it is a historic building, city leaders, noting that the structure is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places, have suggested that such a move may prove too cost-prohibitive.

Built by the Calumet and Arizona Mining Company in 1906, the structure has served as the Bisbee City Hall since 1974.

Bisbee’s city administrative offices are currently located in a building that once served as the city’s juvenile detention center at 915 S. Tovreaville Road.
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A decision regarding both the demolition of the old City Hall and the construction of an entirely new building could be made by summer.

​By Garry Boulard

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