City Hall, Penang

The Penang City Hall is a British-built, Edwardian-style building in George Town, Penang, Malaysia, which now serves as the seat of the Penang Island City Council. It was also formerly the seat of the City Council of George Town.

Originally built in 1903 as the Municipal Office, the building was erected at a cost of $100,000 to relieve the demand for office space at the adjacent Penang Town Hall. The name "City Hall" dates back to the grant of city status to George Town in 1957.

Both buildings overlook the historic parade ground (the Padang) along Esplanade Road, and affords a panoramic view of the Esplanade. Across the street, a Cenotaph, built to commemorate the First World War dead, stands at the Esplanade facing the sea.

Built in 1903 in the Edwardian Baroque style, the two-storey building has been listed as a national monument since 1982 under the Antiquities Act 1976. The building was renovated in 2004. Although the City Hall retains much of its original form, the original arcades or loggias on the ground floor have been enclosed with windows.

The City Hall was constructed in 1903 at a cost of $ 100,000. Originally called the "Municipal Office, Penang", it was built to relieve the demand for space in the adjacent Town Hall. With the official opening of the City Hall in 1906, the Town Hall took on a more social function.

The City Hall holds the distinction of being one of the first buildings in Penang to be completely fitted with electric lights and fans.

The building was renamed the "City Hall" in 1957, when George Town was declared a city by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. It began to serve as the seat of the City Council of George Town. Even after the George Town City Council was merged with the Penang Rural District Council to form the Penang Island Municipal Council in 1976, Penangites still refer to the building as the "City Hall".

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