Architects: John H. Wilson, Edward Bell, Albert Bond, David McBeath
Interior Access
In architectural style, the Sydney Town Hall is French Second Empire, deriving inspiration for its motifs, roofscapes and elaborate interiors from the Louvre and Hotel de Ville in Paris and chateaux around Paris and in the Loire Valley. The exterior of the building is built primarily from Sydney ‘yellowblock’ sandstone and elaborately carved by stonemasons. The building has a slate roof and was originally surrounded by landscaping and a palisade fence.
The building was built in two main stages the first being the vestibule and offices (1869 - 1880) and the second being the two halls (1880 - 1889).
The Town Hall was temporarily occupied in 1875 however the finishing of the ground floor rooms was not undertaken until 1878 and the finishing of the second floor rooms was undertaken to coincide with the opening of the Main Hall. The decoration of the ground floor chambers and corridors of the first stage was designed by David McBeath and the decoration of the Vestibule by Albert Bond.