Editing John McArthur Jr (section)

== Design Features ==

City Hall's design presents Second Empire vocabulary at monumental scale. Mansard roofs at multiple levels create distinctive silhouette, while classical columns, pilasters, and entablatures organize extensive facades. The building's plan arranges municipal functions around a central courtyard, with the tower rising from the center to provide dramatic vertical accent. The tower's design progresses through stages of decreasing size, culminating in the statue platform that places William Penn as symbolic guardian of the city he founded.<ref name="tatum"/>

Interior spaces received elaborate treatment commensurate with exterior grandeur. Council chambers, courtrooms, and major offices feature painted ceilings, marble finishes, and ornamental plasterwork. Corridors and stairs display quality materials and careful craftsmanship throughout the building. The design's consistency—maintained through decades of construction—creates unified experience despite the building's vast scale. Public spaces accommodate civic functions while expressing through their grandeur the importance of municipal government.<ref name="gallery"/>