hard to find custom-designed 1911 original cast brass william holabird-designed chicago city hall office door mail slot

chicago city hall is a 10-story building that houses the official seat of government of the city of chicago in illinois. adjacent to the richard j. daley center and the james r. thompson center, the building that includes chicago city hall houses the offices of the mayor, city clerk, and city treasurer; some city departments; aldermen of chicago's various wards; and chambers of the chicago city council on the west side of the building. the building's east side (called county building) is devoted to the various offices of cook county, including chambers for the cook county board of commissioners.

situated on a city block bounded by randolph, lasalle, washington boulevard, and clark street, the 11-story structure was designed by the architectural firm holabird & roche in the classical revival style and built to replace and expand an earlier city hall. its location has served as the center of city government from 1853 to 1871, and with a break due to the great chicago fire, from 1885 to the present. the current hall was officially dedicated on february 27, 1911.

the first chicago city hall in 1837 was in leased chambers in the saloon building on the corner of lake and clark streets. the city next leased space in a building owned by nancy chapman, from 1842 until 1848, when old market hall was constructed in lasalle street. the city owned market hall held city council business on its second floor, with shops below until 1853. a new combined city hall and county courthouse was then constructed in the public square made by randolph, lasalle, washington, and clark streets (this building, which no longer exists, is sometimes referred to as, old chicago courthouse). abraham lincoln's body lay in state here during his funeral services in 1865. the courthouse bell was rung in 1871 to raise the alarm during the great chicago fire before the hall burned to the ground.

a hastily constructed hall nicknamed the 'old rookery' was built around a water tank that survived the fire at lasalle and adams streets—today, that site houses the rookery building (built 1888). in 1885, the city and county completed construction of a new combined building in the french empire style at the present site (and the site of the old courthouse). this building was demolished and replaced in 1905 by the present and larger classical revival structure.