(26) City Hall
Built: 1893
Address: 303 North River Street
One of the more elaborate buildings in the downtown is the City Hall which A.D. McKay built. Influenced by the Romanesque style, the building's front facade has all-round arched openings with large keystones. Hood molding appears around the second floor windows. Perforated stone work is used for a decorative device at all levels of the building and appears on the string course that separate the two stories. A series of pilasters extends up the central bay to the roof line. An entabulature covers the central entrance with a checkerboard, or "diaper" work above it. The cornice has a band of pointed arches and dentil decoration with a parapet wall above. A central, decorative roof cresting with pyramidal terminations is one of the embellishments of the building.
Only the left side of the building has been dramatically altered; it was enlarged for larger firetrucks. The upper floor was originally an elegant opera house.
Interesting Facts: City Hall throughout the course of its life housed the jail, post office, library, and firefighting equipment including a stable for the horse that pulled the fire wagon.
