Description of the attraction
Geelong City Hall is located on Geringap Street in the heart of the city. It was built in the 19th century. The land on which the town hall stands was acquired by the City Council in 1854. To develop the project of the building, a special commission was created, for consideration of which 12 sketches were submitted. The winner was Joseph Reid, an architect from Melbourne.
The construction of the town hall was estimated at $ 69 thousand, but due to insufficient funding, it was decided to build only the south wing along Little Malop Street. The foundation stone of the building was laid in April 1855 by the then mayor of the city, William Bailey, and the south wing was soon completed.
Until the early 1900s, this wing remained the only part of the town hall. Then there were the first proposals to move the town hall to another place, in 1914 they even convened a referendum on this issue, which decided to move the meetings of the City Council to the building of the former elementary school on Murabul Street. However, this proposal was rejected, and, in contrast, it was decided to bring the construction of the town hall to the end in accordance with the original project. Only in June 1917, the town hall was completed and acquired the appearance that the architect Joseph Reid had intended. In the following years, some changes were made only in the rear part of the building, and in the main the town hall retains its historical appearance.
