New York City Hall
New York City Hall is the seat of government of the
City of New York. City Hall is located in
Lower Manhattan on Murray Street between
Broadway and Park Row and across from one of the campuses of
Pace University. It faces south to the recently renovated City Hall Park. At that time of construction, the north end of the city was at City Hall.
The New York City Hall building was designed by
John McComb, Jr. and
Joseph François Mangin. Construction of the City Hall building began in
1803 and was completed in
1812. The building's front facade is
marble and
granite, while the back is
sandstone. The building's distinctive
cupola has served as a model for spires on other buildings, notably
Eliot House at
Harvard University.
City Hall houses the
mayor's office and the
New York City Council. Press conferences concerning city politics are frequently held on the steps of the building. The official setting for most mayoral news conferences is in the Blue Room. The mayor's staff and thirteen municipal agencies are located in the nearby
Manhattan Municipal Building, one of the largest governmental buildings in the world.
Fences surround the City Hall building, with strong security presence by the
NYPD. Access to the building is restricted to public tours (by reservation) and to those with specific business there. Despite the security measures, on
July 23,
2003 at 2:08 p.m., a fatal shooting occurred inside City Hall.
Othniel Askew, a political rival of City Councilman
James E. Davis, opened fire in the chamber's balcony killing Davis, across the street from his
alma mater, just minutes after the two had entered City Hall together. Askew was shot and killed by a plainclothes officer who was on the council speaker's security detail. The two did not pass through a
metal detector, which is not unusual for elected officials and their guests. As a result of the security breach, Mayor
Michael Bloomberg said that, effective immediately, he and all other elected officials and their guests must go through the metal detectors.
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New York Architecture Images- City Hall (and City Hall Subway Station)*
A Brief History of City Hall - NYC.gov
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New York City Council Chambers*
CityMayors.com feature
