Rotunda Town Hall, USA

The Rotunda Town Hall is an old government building, which was once a symbol of this town’s independence from the larger neighbouring city. This incarnation of the town hall was built in the 1920’s, in a Classical Revival architecture style. The building has been disused since the late 1990’s, and estimates suggest it would take $10-15 million to renovate this lost place into flats. For the meantime, this dilapidated building awaits rejuvenation.

The first town hall was built on this site in the middle 19th Century when the town was an independent municipality, before it was consolidated into the neighbouring city some years later. Despite being known as “the Town Hall”, the building has never truly served in this capacity. Over these early decades it was used as a police station, as well as a hospital during the Civil War. This original building was later declared structurally unsound, and demolished in the 1920’s.

A few years later, the new town hall was constructed. The building covers 20,000 square feet, over three floors. The clock and bell from the old town hall were lovingly re-instated in their new home atop the new tower. Below the clock tower, a green-painted rotunda was added. Two marble memorial tablets line the walls beneath the dome, emblazoned with the names of the towns fallen soldiers from World War 1. Leading from the dome are corridors of various offices, mostly empty now. One office retains many interesting original signs and appears relatively untouched, a stark contrast to the rest of the building. The banners and signed state this is the “Mayor’s Office of Community Services”. There are files and stationery littering the desk, and a lot of original vintage signs.