the building was finished in january 2005 with city officials and employees moving into the buildings by the end of march. a public grand opening was held on july 16, 2005, to officially open the center. total cost of the public portion of the project was $34 million, with construction totaling $23.5 million. prior to completion the city leased space in several downtown buildings, including the county's public services building where hillsboro also held city council meetings. later in 2005 a coffee shop was added as a tenant in part of the retail space, and in 2007 the restaurant space in the building was leased to nw hayden enterprises for a restaurant scheduled to open in 2008. in april 2009, the plaza was renamed as the tom hughes civic center plaza in honor of tom hughes, who was mayor when the building was constructed.