The Bay City Hall is a government building located at 301 Washington Street in

Bay City, Michigan Bay City is a city and county seat of Bay County in the U.S. state of Michigan, located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and it is the principal city of the Bay City Metrop ...

. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1975.

History

The original settlers in what now is Bay City arrived in the 1830s. By 1857, fourteen sawmills were located along the

Saginaw River The Saginaw River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed November 7, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is formed by the confluence of the Tittabawassee and S ...

, and after the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

both lumbering and shipbuilding continued strongly. In 1889, voters approved the construction of a new city hall. In 1892, local architects Leverett A. Pratt and Walter Koeppe were hired to design the structure, and the cornerstone was laid in 1894. The building was completed by the summer of 1897 at a cost of $175,000. The building was used by the city through the 20th century, with a major renovation in 1975. In 2010, a major re-tiling of the roof was undertaken, but a construction incident caused a large fire. The building was closed for 3 years, and an extensive, $10 million renovation performed. It was reopened in 2013, and still serves the city.

Description

The Bay City Hall is a Richardsonian Romanesque building constructed of Indiana limestone, sandstone, and granite, measuring approximately 120 feet by 200 feet. The multi-gabled roof is tiled, and a large sandstone tower, nearly 180 feet high, is located at the southeast corner. The tower is topped with a gable roof with spires, and contains a large clock with separate dial faces on each of its four sides. The windows in the building are flat-headed units set in round arches, and are divided by heavy stone mullions. The entrance is through a huge double Romanesque arch, decorated with an elaborate stucco bas-relief, and sheltered with an arched porch supported by polished stone columns. The interior is dominated by a large central stairwell, illuminated by skylights, with an elaborately scrolled cast iron banister.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Bay County, Michigan Romanesque Revival architecture in Michigan Government buildings completed in 1897 Michigan State Historic Sites in Bay County