Durand subsequently also designed the Perth County Courthouse and the Stratford Hospital (now Avoncrest) among many others before his early death at age 39. In 1904, the Water Supply Company was wound up and the waterworks was taken over by the City of Stratford under the new Water Commission.

The pumphouse originally took all its water from the river. The first artesian well was dug in 1905. In 1915 the Water Commission merged into the new Stratford Public Utilities Commission (now Festival Hydro). The original building of 1882-83 consisted only of the northern portion. Besides a couple of additions to the original building, a matching building (southern portion) for the garages was eventually built by the PUC in the 1920s.

A water tower, shown in the photo below, (now gone) was also constructed behind the building in 1916. After eighty years of service the waterworks buildings were replaced by new buildings across the street. The old pumphouse and garage were declared surplus in 1964 and the city entertained proposals for what to do with the buildings.

The Society was transformed into the Stratford Art Association in 1966 and chose Robert Ihrig as the first director. He soon interested Rothman’s of Pall Mall Canada Limited to sponsor the gallery with a large annual grant and the new Rothman’s Art Gallery of Stratford opened in 1967. The two buildings were renovated and connected with a new entrance and reception area.

Nearly one million dollars were spent by Rothman’s over the next decade until it decided to withdraw its sponsorship in 1975. The Art Association scrambled to raise more money from other sources including city council and reduced programs and staff to accommodate the lower budget. It was renamed Gallery Stratford and continues today as an important part of the cultural life of Stratford and the province, sponsoring local and travelling exhibits year-round.