Gilbert Town Hall was built in 1938 to serve the area's 1400 residents. The building included a fire station with a jail behind it, as well as the courthouse and council chambers. On January 2, 1938, Congress approved $12,546 to construct the city hall-fire station. A dedication celebration took place on December 30, 1938, at 7:30 p.m. and drew a large crowd that included Governor R.C. Stanford. Constructed of adobe in a Spanish design with concrete floors, the 72-by-41-foot building used its central section as an assembly hall and for the Justice of the Peace's courtroom, while the town clerk's office occupied the right wing. Beneath the main building, a large basement housed modern heating and air-cooling equipment and later became Gilbert's first public library, which opened on October 3, 1950. The first town council meeting in the new facilities took place on May 9, 1939. The actual cost of the 14-room adobe and stucco structure was $18,000.