Constructed from 1803 to 1812, the New York City Hall building is the oldest city hall in the United States and still houses its original governmental functions. The design by Joseph-François Mangin and John McComb Jr. was chosen, and construction commenced in May 1803. Later, Joseph-François Mangin served as the architect of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral, located on Mulberry Street in Manhattns neighborhood, presently known as Nolita.
In June 1857, the New York City Police riot took place in front of New York City Hall between the recently dissolved New York Municipal Police and the newly formed Metropolitan Police. Municipal police fought with Metropolitan officers who were attempting to arrest New York City Mayor Fernando Wood.
On July 23, 2003, at 2:08 p.m., City Hall was the scene of a political assassination when Othniel Askew, a political rival of City Councilman James E. Davis, shot Davis twice, fatally wounding him. A police officer on the floor of the chamber then fatally shot Askew.
This photograph of City Hall, draped in black, with the flags lowered and a long procession of mourners coming up and down, was taken in July 1885, when the body of Ulysses S. Grant, who led the Union Army to victory in the American Civil War in 1865 and who in 1868 was elected to be the President of the United States, was laid in state beneath City Hall’s soaring rotunda dome.
At the request of a New York society dedicated to the preservation of the city's architectural legacy, the original photograph was scanned and archived. The digital image underwent meticulous retouching to maintain its authenticity, and color correction was used to restore the faded tones.