33 E. Broadway Avenue
The lowest days of the Great Depression brightened for area dairymen when the Ada County Dairymen’s cooperative creamery began operation in 1929. It provided milk checks to those who were members of the cooperative, enabling them to pay their taxes and provide food for their families. Other community members hauled milk to the creamery and were employed by the creamery, whose product was Challenge Butter.
The creamery ran seven days a week for 40 years. Additions and improvements were made while the plant was in full operation. Later years saw the Wyeth Laboratories affiliate with the creamery to manufacture SMA baby formula. After the creamery ceased local operations in 1970, the dairymen’s milk was shipped to Caldwell for processing.
In 2008 the new Meridian City Hall was dedicated on the same piece of land where the creamery once sat. We are proud to have a building that not only recognizes and proudly displays the important role the dairy industry played in our history, but was also paid for without credit due to over 20 years of fiscal conservation. Our building is not only functional allowing for the potential for growth but also has a minimal environmental impact. The building received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification, a standard currently attained by only a handful of Idaho homes and buildings. We are proud to offer a green building to our citizens and of the example we set.