Halifax City Hall Tours and Activities

Halifax City Hall stands at the north end of the city’s historical Grand Parade, which dates back to when Halifax was founded in 1749. The building itself was constructed between 1887 and 1890, and it’s now one of the oldest public buildings in Nova Scotia. It’s also a National Historic Site of Canada.

Using a combination of sandstone and granite, the building’s architecture stands out from other nearby buildings. The defining feature, a seven-story clock tower, adds another connection to local history. While the south facing is set to the current time, the north-facing clock rests on 9:04 to commemorate the devastating 1917 Halifax Explosion. On December 6, 1917, the French cargo ship SS Mont-Blanc was loaded with wartime explosives when it collided with a Norwegian vessel in Halifax Harbour. When fire ignited the explosive cargo, it created what was then the largest man-made explosion in history and completely destroyed the Richmond District of the city.