Council Chamber, City Hall

Original title: "Council Chamber, City Hall, New York". Illustration drawn by Charles Burton, engraved by H. Fofsette and published by George Melksham Bourne in the Views of New York, in 1831. Source: New York Public Library.

The present New York City Hall is a National Historic Landmark. It was constructed from 1803 to 1812, being the oldest city hall in the United States that still houses its original governmental functions. In the 19th century, the City Hall housed the three wings of the government: legislative, executive and judicial. It included wine and beer cellars, a chapel, small jails and a housekeeper's apartment. The building, designed in a Georgian Revival style by Joseph-François Mangin and John McComb Jr., was one of the finest architectural achievements of the time.

Originally, the City Council Chamber consisted of two courtrooms and a corridor. It was reconfigured in 1897 to provide adequate meeting space for the City's newly created bicameral legislative body, consisting of the Municipal Council and the Board of Alderman (renamed the City Council in 1938). At that time, the room was called the Aldermanic Chamber. In the first half of the 20th century, New York City's government institutions expanded into several Civic Center buildings, including the Municipal Building.