Geelong Town Hall sits on Geringup Street in the heart of the town centre. It was built back in the 19th century. The land on which the Town Hall stands was acquired by the Town Council in 1854. A special commission was set up to design the building, and 12 sketches were submitted for consideration. The winning design was by Melbourne architect Joseph Reid.
The construction of the Town Hall was estimated at $69,000, but due to insufficient funding it was decided to build only the southern wing along Little Malop Street. The foundation stone was laid in April 1855 by then-mayor William Bailey, and the south wing was soon completed.
Up until the early 1900s, this wing remained the only part of the town hall. At that time there were the first proposals to move the Town Hall to another location, in 1914 a referendum was even called on the matter, which decided to move the meetings of the Town Council to the former primary school building in Moorabool Street. However, this proposal was rejected and, in opposition, it was decided to see the Town Hall through to completion as originally designed. It was not until June 1917 that the Town Hall was completed and took on the appearance envisaged by the architect Joseph Reid. In the following years, only some changes were made to the rear of the building, but for the most part, the town hall retains its historic appearance.
