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NATCHEZ — Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson gathered former mayors and current aldermen along with other city and historic preservation officials Tuesday morning to re-dedicate Natchez City Hall upon its 100th birthday.

Gibson said City Hall was first dedicated on Nov. 12, 1924.

Mayor Luther A. Whittington filled the term of the popular, longest-serving Natchez mayor, William Benbrooke. Whittington was in office when the idea of a new municipal building was conceived and made a reality, said Mimi Miller of the Historic Natchez Foundation.

“Mayor William Benbrooke was the city’s longest-serving mayor, serving 32 years plus a few months,” Gibson said. “He was so popular it was considered to be unpatriotic to run against him, and he ran unopposed in 1922. We believe Mayor Benbrooke would be very happy to see this beautiful city hall that perhaps he envisioned, but never was allowed to inhabit. Shortly after he was re-elected in 1922, he passed away.”

Benbrooke’s great-great-granddaughter, Laura Benbrooke, who inherited and renovated the Benbrooke family home, attended Tuesday’s rededication ceremony.

Gibson said City Hall was recently renovated, thanks to the state’s Community Heritage Preservation Grant Program. That grant made available $157,000, which the city matched with $96,000, allowing the installation of a new room, paint, renovation of the first-floor bathroom, installation of new hardwood flooring, and restoration of the staircase.

Former mayors Jake Middleton and Tony Byrne recalled events and experiences within City Hall.

“I first came into this building in 1963, when my dad was elected to the board of aldermen,” Middleton said. His father died while serving Ward 5 in 1981, and his mother was appointed to fill his position.

Middleton’s brother Tom ran for and won his father’s position and Middleton was elected in 1992 and served as alderman before becoming mayor.

“I counted them up last night and my immediate family has served 43 of those 100 years of this building’s existence. My son, Wes Middleton, now serves on the Board of Supervisors,” he said. “Everything we’ve done, we’ve done for Natchez. We love Natchez.”

Byrne recalled 22 years of serving in City Hall, including two years as an alderman before being elected mayor.

“I would like to thank the aldermen who served with me when I was mayor. Those were turbulent times of civil rights and we appointed African Americans to every commission and committee the city had. That may not seem bold now, but it was a bold move back then,” he said.

Byrne also paid tribute to Tripod, the city’s kitty, who is remembered with a marker beneath one of the beautiful oak trees in front of city hall. Tripod was a three-legged cat adopted by city hall staff members and lived in the building for four years.

Historic Natchez Foundation’s Mimi Miller presented a history of the building from its conception to the present day.

She said the birth of City Hall gave birth to the historic preservation movement in Natchez.

“This building sparked it,” she said. “It stands on the site of the historic City Hall and Market, similar to the French Market in New Orleans.”

A Natchez woman named Miss Charlie Compton led the fight to save the former City Hall and Market, constructed in 1837.

“She lost the battle but won the war because it gave birth to the historic preservation movement in Natchez,” Miller said.