City Hall
New York
City Hall is the seat of New York's city government, in the middle of City Hall Park. The mayor and the City Council have worked here since 1812.
A contest for the new City Hall
In 1802 the city held a competition to design the new City Hall. Twenty-six designs came in, and Joseph Mangin and John McComb won. Mangin had trained in Europe, while McComb was born in New York. This was the only project they ever signed together.
Work began in 1803 and the building opened in 1812. To save money, the back was covered with a stone cheaper than marble.
What to see from outside
The building has a central block and two wings that reach out toward the park. In front is a porch with columns, at the top of a long flight of steps. In the middle of the roof rises a little tower with the clock and the dome, rebuilt in 1917.
A lawn of many lives
From 1653 this lawn was the village's common land. Later it held an art museum and a post office. Today it is a triangle-shaped park, with trees and paths. City Hall is its most important building, and from the dome a statue keeps an eye on the paths.
