New York City Hall - Vintage Images

During the Dutch rule, a tavern, at the corner of Coenties Slip and Pearl Street, was converted into the first official City Hall (Stadt Huys). In 1674, the English took control of the city. The second City Hall was built on Wall Street between 1699 and 1700. It became the Federal Hall, when New York became the national capital, until 1790.

In 1802, the City of New York held a competition for a new City Hall building. The winning plan was designed by architects Joseph François Mangin, a French immigrant, and John McComb Jr., a New Yorker. The construction of the building started in May 1803, on the site of the old Poor House, demolished in 1897. The City Hall was dedicated in 1811 and completed in 1812, when the city government moved from the old Federal Hall. 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 was one of the finest architectural achievements of the period. The sculpture of Justice atop the building’s cupola is a copper replica of the original, which was carved in wood by John Dixey. The original figure held a builder’s steelyard balance instead of scales.

The original copper roof of City Hall was replaced in 1853.

In August 1858, the City Hall was partly destroyed by fire. The roof and cupola, with the first sculpture of Justice on top, were destroyed. The City Hall was rebuilt in the following months. The tower clock was completed in April 1859, with a clock made by Sperry & Co. of New York. Its pendulum was over 14 feet long and the pendulum bob weighed over 300 pounds. In May 1860, a new wooden Justice sculpture was installed on the rebuilt cupola, but by 1887 it had deteriorated and had to be replaced. The domed clock tower was rebuilt in 1917 (see the old tower in 1900).

The City Hall has become a living museum and it was designated a national historic landmark in 1960. The Landmarks Preservation Commission designated City Hall an individual landmark in 1966 and its central rotunda an interior landmark in 1976. In 1998, the roof and the domed tower were restored, replacing some deteriorated structure.

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