New London‘s City Hall, on State Street, was originally constructed in 1856 in the Italianate style. This building then had a more residential appearance, in keeping with the houses that lined State Street in the mid-nineteenth century. By the early twentieth century, however, large commercial buildings dominated the street and many in the city government wanted a more imposing Municipal Building to assert civic pride. City Hall was therefore substantially remodeled in 1912. The original design, by W.T. Hallett of Norwich, was replaced with an imposing classical Beaux-Arts exterior, designed by the New London architect, James Sweeney.
New London City Hall (1856)