The City Hall is the

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

headquarters of George Town within the

Malaysian state Malaysia is a federation of thirteen states and three federal territories, which form the primary administrative divisions of the country. Eleven states and two territories are part of Peninsular Malaysia, while two states and one territory ...

Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

. Built by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

, it now serves as the seat of the

Penang Island City Council The Penang Island City Council ( ) is the local government that administers the city of George Town, which includes the entirety of Penang Island. The city council, which has jurisdiction over an area of , falls under the purview of the Penang ...

and was previously the seat of the

George Town City Council The George Town City Council ( ) was a List of local governments in Malaysia, local government that administered what is now Central George Town, Penang, downtown George Town in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, Malaysian state of P ...

. Originally completed in 1903 as the ''Municipal Offices'', the building was erected at a cost of $100,000 to relieve the demand for office space at the adjacent

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

. The name ''City Hall'' dates back to the grant of city status to George Town in 1957. Both the City Hall and the

are located at Esplanade Road, overlooking the historic parade ground (the ''Padang'') within the

Esplanade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...

. The buildings are also situated within George Town's

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

Architecture

Completed in 1903, the two-storey building combines

Edwardian Baroque Edwardian architecture usually refers to a Neo-Baroque architectural style that was popular for public buildings in the British Empire during the Edwardian era (1901–1910). Architecture up to 1914 is commonly included in this style. It can al ...

and

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

architectural styles. It has been listed as a national monument since 1982 under the Antiquities Act 1976. The building was last renovated between 2004 and 2005. Although the City Hall retains much of its original form, the original arcades or

loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior Long gallery, gallery or corridor, often on an upper level, sometimes on the ground level of a building. The corridor is open to the elements because its outer wall is only parti ...

s on the ground floor have been enclosed with windows.

History

The history of George Town's municipal accommodations began in 1873, when a proposal to construct the

was first mooted. The construction of the

commenced in 1879 and was inaugurated in the following year, making it George Town's first municipal building.The Straits Times ingapore21 August 1880: 5. Print. The

housed the local government for George Town, the Municipal Commission of George Town and served as a venue for social events for the European elite. However, the Municipal Commission soon deemed the office space within the

to be insufficient. Hence, plans were drawn up for the construction of another municipal building right next door. Tenders were called for the construction of the ''Municipal Offices'' in 1900. Lee Ah Chang, a local ethnic

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

, won the contract with a bid amounting to $75,400 (

Straits dollar The Straits dollar was the currency of the Straits Settlements from 1898 until 1939. At the same time, it was also used in the Federated Malay States, the Unfederated Malay States, Kingdom of Sarawak, Brunei, and British North Borneo. Histor ...

). The ''Municipal Offices'' was built in the

and

styles, which were popular at the time. By the time the ''Municipal Offices'' was completed in 1903, its construction cost had ballooned to $100,000 (

). The Municipal Commission of George Town decided to covertly relocate from the

into the adjacent ''Municipal Offices'', and that no inauguration ceremony was to be held. Since the completion of the ''Municipal Offices'', the

took on a more social function. The ''Municipal Offices'' held the distinction of being one of the first buildings in

to be completely fitted with electric lights and fans. The ''Municipal Offices'' was renamed the City Hall in 1957, when George Town was declared a city by Her Majesty

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

. Thus, the City Hall served as the seat of the

until its eventual

merger Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of a company, business organization, or one of their operating units is transferred to or consolidated with another entity. They may happen through direct absorpt ...

with the Penang Island Rural District Counci in 1974. Even after the consolidation of the local governments, Penangites still referred to the building as the City Hall. Today, the City Hall serves as the headquarters of the

References

External links

Old photograph of City Hall, with open loggias

{{Malaysian historical architectures and sites Buildings and structures in George Town, Penang

Architecture

History

See also

References

External links