Waterbury’s first City Hall, located on West Main Street and facing the Green, was destroyed by fire in 1912. The current City Hall, on Grand Street, was begun in July 1914 and opened in 1915. Called the Waterbury Municipal Building, it was unusual in its time for containing not just the mayor and city council, but the Police and Fire Departments as well. It was designed by the famous architect Cass Gilbert of New York, who won a design competition for the proposed structure in 1913. After winning the competition, Gilbert wanted to switch from his original plans for a brick and marble building to one with an all marble facade. Although this request was denied by the city, Gilbert had another opportunity when he designed the Chase Brass & Copper Company Building (across the street) for Henry S. Chase in 1917. The Chase family had also helped to fund the City Hall. In later years, the building‘s maintenance was neglected and it was officially condemned in 2006. Local citizens rallied to save the historic building from demolition. Rehabilitation plans were drawn up and voters approved a bond issue to fund the restoration work, which was carried out in 2009-2010. City Hall was rededicated on January 1, 2011.
