Chamber of Board of Councilmen, New York City

Original title: Chamber of the Board of Councilmen, 1868. Lithograph published in the Manual of the Corporation of the City of New York by Joseph Shannon (Clerk of the Common Council).

In 1824 an Act of the New York State Legislature made the Common Council bicameral, dividing it into a Board of Aldermen and a Board of Assistants. An act passed April 12, 1853, further to amend the Charter of the City of New York, stated: «The legislative powers of the Corporation of the city of New York shall be vested in a Board of Aldermen and a Board of Councilmen, who, together, shall form the Common Council of the city. The Board of Aldermen shall consist of one Alderman from each ward, who shall be elected by the people of the respective wards for two years. The Board of Councilmen shall consist of sixty members, to be elected from as many districts, who shall be sworn into office on the first Monday of January next succeeding their election, and shall hold their offices for one year, and shall receive the same compensation as the Aldermen.»

The present New York City Hall is a National Historic Landmark, constructed from 1803 to 1812. In the 19th century, it housed the three wings of the government: legislative, executive and judicial.