At the founding of Fort Wayne, governing officials often met in whatever rented/free spaces were available in town. In 1855, a market place was built, but because of the inconveniences of the city bureaucracy, the Council ordered that a new market building be built to replace the older structure in 1869. Offices in this building were to be provided for by the City Clerk and the City Treasurer, the mayor had to find his own office. Despite the improvements made to the market building, by the 1880s the increase in population and development of land within the city made it necessary for a more suitable municipal facility to be constructed. During the years of 1885-1889, plans for a new building had begun, but it was in the administration of Charles Zollinger that the project was finally realized. On April 20, 1893, exactly 129 years ago today, the City Building was dedicated with speeches made by the chairman of the building, Herman Michael, ex-Senator Charles McCulloch, ex-Mayor C.F Muhler (who had originally pushed the City Hall project), Colonel Oakley, and Circuit Court Judge Edward O’Rourke. The City Hall cost $69,806 to build including, $1,889 for the inside furnishings. The northern end of the building was designed for public business; the south end was used by the police department and the jail. On the second floor, the City Court and City Council Chambers were located. Officers would bring offenders to the second floor by way of a hidden stairway to avoid having to go up the public stairways. At the turn of the century, the garage housed the rescue boat and paddy wagon with a hayloft for the horses that were stabled nearby. #sociallyhistory
Old City Hall is an individual local historic district. The Fort Wayne City Building - was built in 1840 on land donated to the city by Samuel Hanna at Barr and Berry Streets. The sandstone building was built in 1893 in the Richardsonian Romanesque architecture. In 1977, the city of Fort Wayne committed a Federal Grant to rehabilitate the Old City Hall for use as a historical museum that is now the home of the Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society known as the The History Center.
