Erected on the site established by William Penn as the site for future public
buildings, actual construction of Philadelphia's City Hall was ongoing from 1871
to 1901 with additional work continuing until 1909. The total cost of
construction was $24.5 million. Designed by architect John McArthur and built in
the French Second Empire style of architecture, City Hall remains the world's
largest masonry load-bearing building. A National Historic Landmark, the
building is America's largest and most elaborate City Hall. The statue of
William Penn which sits atop City Hall tower is the tallest statue on any
building in the world.
For much of its first 100 years, City Hall was allowed to deteriorate in many
regards. In recent years, capital improvement projects to areas of
the exterior of the building have been ongoing, however, many interior areas of
the building have deteriorated to the degree that they are no longer useable.
The criminal courts as well as many city agencies have long ago moved from the
building to more modern facilities throughout the city.
The estimated costs for a complete renovation both exterior and interior range
from $303 -$650 million based on estimates of actual work needed as well as an
examination of a similar massive renovation of San Francisco's City Hall.