Bruce Simmons. Organized in 1933, the town's rotary club began to meet at the hotel, and would for many years. In 1945, the hotel was bought Louis Mascioli of Timmins. In 1947–1948, the Mascioli brothers renovated and expanded the facility, removing the porches, adding street level retail units and erecting the adjoining four-story red brick building. They also renamed it the Empire hotel. The first shops were a barbershop, a jewelry store and also a shoe store. Beilhartz shoes remained in business in the Empire Block until 1985. In the mid-80's, Jim Tumber, who acquired the building along with Gary Macklaim, obtained a grant from the Government of Ontario to help convert the now derelict building from a hotel into an apartment building. Dave Keay, the building's last owner, bought the Empire in 1999. Over the next 10 years he refurbished the basement bar and the 52 apartments, doing most of the work personally. The day the fire happened was the day that Keay had just finished the outside painting. The fire was believed to be caused by an electrical problem but the exact determination is still unclear. As of July 2021, the lot is empty. In June 2010, Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville was host to the 36th G8 summit. Huntsville Town Hall Built in 1926, the Classical Revival administration building was designed by Toronto-based Ellis and Belfry (James Ellis and Franklin Belfry) and was last renovated in 2006 with an added annex (Algonquin Theatre). Council is exploring options to deal with the aging structure. The clock faces are salvaged on 17 August 1927 from the demolition of the 1873 Union Station in Toronto. The building's land was once used as early burial ground and Methodist manse for the then Huntsville Methodist Church next door (c. 1897 and became Huntsville Trinity United Church in 1926). During construction of the town hall in the 1920s, skeletal remains turned up, which showed that not everything had been moved to the, then new, Locks Cemetery site. The building involved two decades of planning. Council and administration The town's council is made up of nine members. The members include the mayor, three town and district councillors who represent the town at the municipality of Muskoka council, and ward councillors who represent the wards of Huntsville (Ward 1), Chaffey (Ward 2), Stephenson-Stisted-Port Sydney (Wards 3,4,5), and Brunel (Ward 6). A regular council meeting is held