However, picture postcards of the same building continued to be popular in the post-WWII era of chromatic postcards. This commonness can leave us to pass over these cards without much thought. But, there is something novel about these images that rewards a second thought.
So, what do you see when you look at this colour postcard of the city hall?
There is the building, the square in front featuring some seating, as well as a garden. Also featured prominently in the lower half of the image are rows of lamps, each sporting three white globes. In fact, the lamps surrounding the square are designed to "embrace" it: On the side of the square, the three globes on each post are aligned in a row while the two side globes of the lamps at each corner are aligned along each border of the square, making a right triangle when seen from above.
The arrangement is quite visible in an image of the Guelph Memorial Gardens (where the current city hall is now located) from another postcard:
Other contemporary postcards of the city hall also frame their images so that the lighting is given prominence.
Finally, there is an image that actually has people in it, sitting on the benches.
On the whole, the effect is a bit incongruous, with the square in front of the pre-Confederation city hall being illumated by lamps of a distinctly modern style. Why, then, were those lamps chosen for this location?
I have yet to find any records showing why Guelph's leaders made this choice but some general points about the history of ligting can illuminate the matter at least a little. In brief, I think that this lighting design wass chosen because it is "atomic."
The world entered the atomic age in 1945 with the completion of the Manhattan Project, resulting in the development of atomic weapons. Atomic energy followed soon after. Canada was closely involved in both developments, such as the CANDU reactor design initiated at the Chalk River Laboratories. So, there was no shortage of interest in the technology and trappings of the atomic age. But, what was the atomic age supposed to look like?
The answer emerged from various quarters. One early visual manifestation of the atomic age was the "ball wall clock," designed by George Nelson and Irving Harper in 1947.
With its central "nucleus" governing an orbiting set of "electrons," the clock playfully reflected a simplified model of an atom. It set a precedent and similar examples of starburst design soon followed in many other types of domestic furnishings.
One of those types was lighting. The launch of the Sputnik satellite in 1957 popularized a kind of atomic-style light fixture in which small light bulbs stuck out on stalks emanating from a central point, in playful imitation of the spindly antennae of the much admired (and feared) Russian space probe.
Of course, this sort of sputnik light fixture is a bit complex but could be simplified by reducing the number of lights in the cluster and adopting a more regular geometry for them, such as sitting in a single plane or line.
The final step is to move the fixture from building interiors into outdoor spaces. This step was apparently encouraged by the enormous structure named Atomium, erected for the Brussels World Fair of 1958. At 102m in height, the sculpture was a model of nine iron atoms arranged in a cubic structure (an α-iron crystal) and represented Belgium's contribution to nuclear research. (The Belgian Congo, now the Democratic Republic of Congo, was a major source of uranium.)
Naturally, the Atomium sculpture featured in many postcards of the Fair.
There's no evidence that the Atomium monument directly prompted the design of outdoor lighting in general, or of lighting in Guelph in particular. However, it is credited with legitimating "atomic design" as a style in civic landscapes, so it is worth bearing in mind.
To be clear, Guelph, like many other cities, had public lighting that combined multiple globes. But, the design of those lights tended to reflect Edwardian modes of design. Consider the postcard below showing St. George's Square, ca. 1930.
Note the street lights across the middle of the square, each featuring two globes on arms protruding from a central post. In terms of style, the lights would not look out of place in the Guelph of 1910 and are certainly not atomic.
The country's centennial in 1967 turned the thoughts of many Canadians to the nation's future. The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, usually known as Expo 67, got people excited about new ideas of architecture and public space. In Guelph, the Expo seemed to add impetus to ideas about renovating the Royal City's old-school downtown. While general plans for the area were ruminated on, money was allocated early in 1968 to re-do the City Hall square and the entrance to the Memorial Gardens.
Up to that point, the City Hall square was simply part of the Carden Street roadway. Normally, one could simply drive up to the building's front door and park right there. This arrangement is evident in pictures of the square before the renovations.
Arrangements could always be made to rope off the area for special events, such as the Guelph Spring Festival dance performance. But, after each such event, the square reverted to car traffic.
In fact, renovations to the square were delayed until after the visit of Governor General Roland Michener, who dropped by on 26 August to officiate at the grand opening of the John McCrae house (Mercury, 21 August 1968). A ceremony in the City Hall square was planned for the occasion but renovations could not have been completed beforehand and so had to wait.
Renovations were finished by November, when the square became for the first time a strictly pedestrian space. A judo demonstration was apparently the first event to be held beneath the square's new, atomic globes (Mercury, 5 November 1968).
Guelphites visiting City Hall basked in the glow of the square's atomic-style lighting for 19 years. In 1987, the City Council decided to give the facade of the City Hall a much-needed "facelift." This beautifcation also extended to the lighting: the triple globes were replaced by single lanterns that imitated the style of coal oil lighting of the kind Guelph had around the time of Confederation. The atomic age was out, the coal era was back!
