The city council had a building lot on the south side of Hwy 30 and west of East 1st Street, but they did not have the plans nor funds to construct a new city hall. In the meantime, they conducted city business in the Masonic Hall. By 1913 the need for a new city hall became more urgent. The population was 2,000 compared to only 200 in 1889 when it consisted of 18 families and a number of bachelors. It was decided that a new building be erected as soon as the council could agree upon the plans and specifications and that it not exceed $7,000. But, because the city was beset with so many other needs and problems, such as opening up and paving streets and getting sidewalks built, establishing a city water system and sewer facilities, the plans for a new city hall were tabled. The city did approve the purchase of a 26-inch bell for a fire bell tower that was later built on the southeast corner of the lot. The tower, that was used to alert fireman to a fire and to dry their hoses, was demolished in 1941. The fire bell was sold to the city of Warrenton for $75. Recent attempts to find the bell have so far failed.
In the November 20, 1919, issue of the Rainier Review it was announced that there would be a banquet given on December 8 at the high school building to raise money for the library. Following the banquet, the Commercial Club called to order a meeting that turned into a discussion as to whether the City of Rainier should at that time build a city hall so that the library might have a dignified place and the City of Rainier a creditable building. The library at that time was paying rent for its facilities. A motion was made and carried that favored the building of a city hall by the city of Rainier. The next day the council approved adding a bond for the city hall along with the water bond that was scheduled for a December 31 vote. The following day after the election, the Rainier Review announced that the voters had agreed to the $20,000 bond for the construction of the city hall.
In January 1920 the Portland architectural firm of Goodrich & Goodrich presented a plan for a one-story high mission-style building. But the members of the American Legion Post 31 spoke up and preferred to have a larger two-story city hall that included a public gathering hall on the second floor where they could hold meetings. Another bond election was held March 16, 1920, when an additional $15,000 was approved to cover the cost of enlarging the building.
In the May 13, 1920, issue of the Rainier Review, it reported that the contract to build the city hall went to John W. Rice who said the work would begin on Monday May 17, and that he would erect the building at cost and likely save the city money. But the project ran into trouble as reported in the October 8, 1920, issue there wasn't enough money to finish the job. Blame was put on the architect who declared that the two-story building with a basement could be completed for $28,500. Acting upon the architect's advice, $35,000 in total bonds were agreed to by the voters. But an extra $10,000 was now needed. So another bond for $10,000 was put before the voters in early November, and this one too was approved.
In was reported in the April 15, 1921, issue of the Rainier Review that the dedication of the new Rainier City Hall was held on the evening of Wednesday April 13 under the auspices of the American Legion. The top floor of the City Hall, where the exercises were held, seated 300 people. But it was filled to full capacity, with all available standing room pressed into use. The opening address was made by Mayor J. G. McKay, representing the city of Rainier. He was followed by Rev. H. H. Howe who spoke for post 31 of the American Legion and Rev. W. S. Gilbert, state commander of the American Legion Department of Oregon. There were readings by Mrs. E. Himebaugh and J. B. Long, vocal solos by Miss Joanna James and Errol V. Burns and a cornet solo by J. M. Jacin. Two sketches were presented by The American Legion, and music was furnished by the newly organized Legion orchestra. It was highly appreciated by the audience. With the completion of the city hall, it brought together under one roof a home for the Rainier Public Library, the Rainier Commercial Club, the American Legion, the Rainier Water board, the Fire Department and the Rainier City officials.
Though the building was completed, the outside still looked like a construction site at the time of the dedication; the building still needed to be painted, and there had been no landscaping.
On July 9, 1923, ladies from the Women's Club attended the council meeting and urged the fixing up of the city hall grounds. The councilmen were in good humor and voted to allow the ladies the sum of $150 for the work. It was estimated that this sum would complete the grading of the grounds and put them in the best condition.
In August 1923 the winning bid of $246 went to Fred Simons to paint the city hall. The paint had already been purchased when the hall was built, but the money at that time was not available for the work. The paint was a cream color, similar to what had been used on the schoolhouse.
When Rainier's civic leaders learned in 1920 that the Ordinance Department was distributing artillery guns to cities and parks, they immediately applied for and were given four guns. All four were manufactured in the 1890s, two weighed 3,660 pounds each and were coming from Fort Warden in Washington state. The other two were smaller, at 829 pounds each, and were coming from the coast defenses of Puget Sound. The only stipulation was that Rainier had to pay for the shipping. To cover that cost the Base Ball Boys held a "Big Guns Dance." The proceeds from the ticket sales were given to pay for the freight. The two larger guns made their way to the high school grounds, and the two smaller guns sat in front of the city hall guarding the front entrance. At the beginning of World War II, the four guns were ordered to be returned to be used as scrap in the building of "modern" weapons. So, on November 13, 1942, Army trucks arrived, loaded them up and hauled them away never to be seen again.
The City Hall was used over the years by organizations and clubs. One was the Columbia Square Dancers who used the top floor in the 1960s. Also, many memorable events took place at the City Hall. Two of these events happened in 1948 and 1973.
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In the December 17, 1975, issue of the Rainier Review, it mentioned that Rainier's firefighters would soon be operating from a new cavernous fire station that was located on the east side of West 2nd St. between Hwy 30 and West C St. David Wellington worked for the Rainier Fire Department from 1974 until early 1978 when he moved to Hillsboro. He said that he was in with the big expansion when all of the new stations were built and new vehicles and equipment were purchased. It was pretty exciting.
He said, "When we moved into the new station, there were two engines at the city hall, a 56 Ford and a 67 Ford. There was also a mountain of equipment that filled those engine bays such as turnout equipment, airpacks, hose, and a great deal of new equipment that had been purchased for the new engines. There were also three new engines and three new tankers that had been purchased but were stored at various locations around the district."
He recalled that the police station entrance was to the left of the current one, going under the large front portico of the city hall. "You went through a weird little tunnel to enter the Police Station. What is now the front of the police station was all two large bay doors. There was also an area called the fireman's quarters on the second floor. For a long time, unmarried men would live there and respond to fires when not working. When the district started building, this area became a combination office, training room, storage area until the new station was finished. I think it later became the water office."
Over the years the city hall had several renovations. Two of which were notable. In the April 12, 1978, issue of the Rainier Review, it reported that the City Hall would start a three-stage renovation. The first stage included expansion of the clerk's office by about six feet, addition of two restrooms and alterations to the Justice Court and City Council chambers. Also, there would be a new entrance into the east side of the building through the existing City Library entry. This entry, without stairs, would be especially helpful to the handicapped. A foyer would be just beyond the entry with a new door into the library. A hallway, from the foyer, would run down the south side of the city hall. The second stage called for the remodeling of the police department's basement offices, while the third stage would make city hall's third floor suitable to serve as a meeting room.
Another change came in August 2006 when the library was moved up to the top floor on the east side of the building. A room across the hallway from the library on the west side remained unfinished. The Rainier Oregon Historical Museum moved into this room in July 2017 after the city remodeled the space.
In its 99th year the Rainier City Hall was affected by the world COVID-19 pandemic. The city, out of precaution, closed the city hall to the public from March to May in 2020, and again from November to the end of February 2021. When Rainier citizens celebrated the city hall's 100th anniversary on April 10, 2021, there was hope that the pandemic would be behind them and that they all could get back to a normal way of life.
