Gloucester City Hall, Administrative building in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Gloucester City Hall is an administrative building in Second Empire style with a distinctive brick facade in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The complex is crowned by a clock tower with a copper dome and features four pyramidal roof structures at each corner of the rectangular main structure.
The building was constructed in 1870 and dedicated in 1871, serving from the start as the city's administrative center. Architects Gridley James Fox Bryant and Louis P. Rogers designed it with features that reflected Gloucester's growing urban importance.
The structure reflects the Boston Granite School movement through its Second Empire details and ornate brick work. Visitors can observe the crafted architectural elements that set it apart from other civic buildings of its era.
The building is located on Dale Avenue and remains the center for city administration and public services. The location is easy to find and the architectural prominence of the structure makes it a recognizable landmark in the downtown area.
The clock tower is a technical oddity: the lower section is built from brick while the upper portions are wooden, leading to the distinctive copper dome. This unusual material combination is an often overlooked detail that shows the practical building solutions of its era.
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