Baltimore's City Hall - The rapid growth of Baltimore in the mid 19th century proved too much for the Peale building to handle, and in the 1860's the taxpayers voted to build another city hall. Begun in 1867 it was the first commission of 22-year-old architect George E Frederick. It is done in the 2nd empire style, a Baroque revival made popular by Napoleon III. There are only a handful of American government buildings in this style. The segmented dome capping the building is the work of Baltimore engineer, Wendell Bollman, known for his iron railroad bridges. In 1977 the city voted to renovate the old city hall rather than build a new one. The ceremonial chambers were restored and the office space was doubled. In the process the dome was disassembled and put back together. Today the rotunda is open to the public and admission is free.


http://www.ce.jhu.edu/mdcive/cityhall.htm