Stamford City Hall

Stamford City Hall, at 201 E. McHarg beside the town square in the central business district, was built in 1917 to replace the earlier city hall and opera house, which was torn down to make way for the U.S. Post Office. The two-story brick building sits on an unusually tall concrete base and includes a one-story rear garage that housed the fire department. Cast-stone details include four engaged Ionic columns dividing the recessed facade, bracketed window hoods, a triangular door pediment, a molded cornice with the words "City Hall" in the frieze, and a cartouche on the parapet. City leaders chose Beaux Arts because it was popular for civic buildings and made a modest structure look larger and more imposing. The structure is little changed, though replacement doors and windows altered the proportions of the openings. Locally significant for architecture and government, it has served the city for nearly seven decades and remains a well-known landmark.