Detroit City Hall (first) - Historic photos (exterior)
Detroit City Hall (first)
Detroit's first City Hall, right, stood on the east side of Woodward Avenue at what is now Cadillac Square from 1835 to 1872.
When it first opened in 1835, Detroit's first City Hall doubled as a meat market.
Detroit's first City Hall, left, was dwarfed by its replacement, which opened in 1871.
Detroit's first City Hall, left, and the Russell House, far right
Old City Hall and the Soldiers and Sailors Monument are seen behind a fountain that originally stood in front of what was then the "new" City Hall.
This photo from April 1865 shows the site of the City Hall of 1871. At far left is the old City Hall of 1835, wrapped in black bunting in mourning for the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. At center is the old Michigan Central Station, built in 1837. The eastern portion of burned June 15, 1859, and smaller buildings were built to replace the burned portion. At right is the Detroit Female Seminary, built in 1835, and later became the state armory and still later a city office building when the old City Hall became too crowded.