New York City Hall

New York City Hall is the seat of New York City government, located at the center of City Hall Park in the Civic Center area of Lower Manhattan, between Broadway, Park Row, and Chambers Street. It was built from 1803 to 1812 and is the oldest city hall in the United States that still has its original government offices.

The building holds the office of the Mayor of New York City and the meeting space for the New York City Council. Though the mayor works here, many city workers are in the nearby Manhattan Municipal Building, one of the biggest government buildings in the world.

New York City Hall is very important historically. It is a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1966, the city's New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission protected the outside of the building, and in 1976, they also protected the inside as official city landmarks.

History

New Amsterdam, the first settlement that became New York City, built its first City Hall in the 1600s near where Pearl Street is today. This old building was torn down in 1690.

In 1700, the city built a second City Hall on Wall and Nassau Streets. This building later became known as Federal Hall when New York was the first capital of the United States after the Constitution. It was torn down in 1812, and a new Federal Hall was built later in 1842.

Planning for the current New York City Hall began in 1776, but building did not start until 1802 after a competition. The winners were Joseph-François Mangin and John McComb Jr. Construction began on May 26, 1803, but faced delays due to cost concerns, labor issues, and a yellow fever outbreak. The building was finally finished and opened in 1812.

In 2008, a major restoration project began to repair and upgrade the building. It took over five years and cost nearly $150 million to complete.

Architecture

The New York City Hall was designed by Mangin and McComb and built between 1810 and 1812. Over the years, many architects have changed and updated the building. The style of the building mixes French Renaissance and English neoclassicism, with American-Georgian style inside.

The building has a central part with two wings. There are steps leading to the entrance, which has been important for city events for over 150 years. The building was damaged by fires and pollution, so it was updated with new stone in the 1950s. The inside has a grand rotunda with columns and a dome. Important people like Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant have been honored there. The building also has many paintings and rooms used for important meetings and events.

Surroundings

Neighborhood

The area around New York City Hall is known as the Civic Center. This neighborhood is mostly made up of government offices from the city, state, and federal levels. There are also many old buildings that are now homes. Famous buildings near City Hall include St. Paul's Chapel, St. Peter's Church, the Home Life Building, the Rogers Peet Building, and the Woolworth Building. Other notable spots are the Broadway–Chambers Building, 280 Broadway, 49 Chambers, Tweed Courthouse, and the Surrogate's Courthouse. The Manhattan Municipal Building is nearby to the northeast, and the Brooklyn Bridge is to the east. The New York Times Building, the Potter Building, and the Park Row Building are to the southwest. City Hall Park is about three blocks west of the World Trade Center. Pace University’s New York City campus is across Park Row from City Hall.

Subway stations

Under City Hall Park is an old subway station called City Hall. It was the first station of the New York City Subway and opened on October 27, 1904. This station has special tiles, skylights, and colorful glass work. It stopped serving passengers on December 31, 1945, but is still used for train turns.

There is another station named City Hall for N, R, and W trains on the BMT Broadway Line. It was built in 1918. Other nearby stations include Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall/Chambers Street and Chambers Street–World Trade Center/Park Place/Cortlandt Street.

As a geographic center

Google Maps uses New York City Hall as the starting point for measuring distances from New York City. This makes it the central reference for all distance calculations in the city.