Aerial view of where the Civic Center would be built, prior to the existing buildings being razed. The complex is bounded by Sycamore St. to the northwest, SE Ninth St. to the northeast, Locust St. to the southeast and M.L. King Boulevard to the southwest. Businesses razed to build this included the F.W. Cook Brewery, Assumption Catholic Church, C & E I Railroad depot and freight depot, Farmers Trust Co., Holt & Brandon Ice & Cold Storage, Ziliak & Schafer Milling Co., and the Imperial Hotel. The Civic Center opened in 1969 as the site of city and county government.