Halifax City Hall sits grandly on the corners of Duke and Argyle streets in downtown Halifax. The monumental building is a unique example of eclectic late-Victorian architecture, with a red and cream sandstone façade and pointed roofs. Stand in the centre of the historic Grand Parade and admire the City Hall on one side and St. Paul’s Anglican church on the other. The City Hall’s seven-story clock tower looks out to the Halifax harbour, just 1,640 feet (500 metres) away. The City Hall houses the area’s municipal government, Halifax Regional Council meetings and the municipal offices.
The hall was completed in 1890, just less than 50 years after the city’s incorporation. When it was first built the city library, Provincial Museum and city jail were here as well as municipal offices. Today it’s a National Historic Site of Canada. Grand Parade, the military parade square, has been the civic centre of the town since it’s founding in 1749.
As the building is the seat of the municipal government, its interior is not open to the public. Admire the City Hall’s Second Empire-influenced architecture, classically detailed pavilions and clock tower from the Grand Parade. Note that the north-facing clock always reads four minutes past nine, the time of the Halifax Explosion that flattened a section of the city in 1917.
Reach the City Hall using Halifax’s inexpensive bus and ferry system. The Halifax-Dartmouth and Halifax-Woodside ferries both dock at the nearby Halifax Ferry Terminal and offer a panoramic view of one of the largest natural harbors in the world.
Stroll around the tree-lined Grand Parade and find yourself in the hub of the city, close to the Halifax Metro Centre sports arena, the Halifax Citadel and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. The south end of Grand Parade is the centre of the downtown dining district, with many restaurants and cafes serving fresh Atlantic seafood.
