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Building a new city hall on the “outskirts” of downtown Charlotte was a controversial decision. In 1924, with the approval of the city council, Charlotte mayor James Oscar Walker authorized construction of a new building in the heart of a residential neighborhood. The decision changed the landscape of Charlotte, moving city government out of the center of the city.

Charles Christian Hook, the first architect to live in Charlotte, was hired to design the building, which is said to be the most imposing public building he created. It consists of four structures: an administrative building (known as City Hall), a fire station, a police station, and a public health building. Governmental agencies moved into the buildings on October 30, 1925, and the first City Council meeting occurred in the new building on November 1, 1925.

In 1928, with City Hall fully occupied, the Board of County Commissioners dedicated a new courthouse on an adjacent parcel of land. The construction of the buildings led to the deterioration of the surrounding residential community and turned the Second Ward neighborhood into the seat of city government, as it remains to this day.