Old City Hall, Phoenix

Old Phoenix City Hall and the Maricopa County Courthouse are conjoined into one building due to an interesting and unique cooperation between city and county governments. In the early 1900s, both the city and county were outgrowing the facilities that they had. The county could expand its building no more due to possible fire risk, and the city required a new, larger city hall. In 1927, when the county commissioners voted to issue bonds to construct a new courthouse, a group led by the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce convinced them to team up with the city on the project.

The project wasn't without snags, of course. There were disputes over the architect, with each organization finding their favorite. Like good politicians, though, they found a compromise. The city's choice, Lescher & Mahoney, had drawn up several schools and other public buildings for them in the past. They would be in charge of the interiors. The county's pick, Edward Neild from Shreveport, would be in charge of the exterior.

The building opened in 1929, with city and county offices in their own portions of the building. The county jail was on the fifth and sixth floors.

Phoenix's explosive growth resulted in the joint building becoming too small for both occupants. The city approved a dedicated city hall building in 1957, and the county completed a new government complex in 1964. The Superior Court still uses the Old City Hall/Maricopa County Courthouse building. The Maricopa County Justice Museum is also on-site.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Phoenix. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "51爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Old City Hall
Sight Location: Phoenix, USA (See walking tours in Phoenix)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Phoenix Introduction Walking Tour

Walking Tours in Phoenix, Arizona

Create Your Own Walk in Phoenix

Creating your own self-guided walk in Phoenix is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

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The latter, known as "The Psycho" Building, gained fame for its cameo in Alfred... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.9 Km or 2.4 Miles

Phoenix Introduction Walking Tour

Phoenix is the largest city in Arizona and the central city in a larger metropolitan area known as the Valley of the Sun. The city was first settled as an agricultural community where the Salt and Gila Rivers met. An intricate canal system keeps this hot corner of the Sonoran Desert fertile. In the early days, the city's economy was based on the "Five Cs"鈥攃itrus, cotton, copper,... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.7 Km or 2.3 Miles

Arizona State University (ASU) Walking Tour

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The university's main campus at Tempe Arizona, east of downtown Phoenix, is an attraction... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.6 Km or 2.2 Miles

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