From September 1937 until August 2004, this red brick building housed Dayton's city government, volunteer fire department, police department, and public library in various combinations. Before 1937, the city conducted its business in rented quarters above the Dayton Mercantile Company on Main Street. Two devastating fires led to the formation of the Dayton Volunteer Fire Department in 1930, which stored its equipment and fire trucks, purchased with funds from fundraising events and the City Council, in an old lean-to structure on Bryan Street. Law enforcement for the community was provided by an elected City Marshal. In 1935, city leaders decided a building was needed to house city hall, a fire station, and, although not mentioned in council minutes, law enforcement personnel. On June 26, 1935, aldermen authorized the city to borrow $800 to purchase a lot for the building, with the loan to be paid from any available funds. Construction on the corner of Cook and Church Streets took place between June and August 1937. The building became the foundation from which Dayton's city government, fire, and public safety departments developed and expanded, and it was a place that virtually every citizen of Dayton entered at some time.