The city of Ironton was platted in 1910 as iron mining of the Cuyuna Range fueled a local economic boom. Inspired by the City Beautiful movement, co-founder John H. Hill envisioned a town with wide streets, public parks, and fashionable amenities to attract cultured residents and families to what would otherwise have been a rough mining town. His suggestion for a centrally located, multipurpose city hall was not approved by the city council, however, until 1916. A public vote that November overwhelmingly supported construction of such a hall and the issuance of a $20,000 municipal bond to finance the project.
