New City Hall's debut

The Government started building the present-day City Hall in the 1950s. The complex included a main building, concert hall, theatre, high block and memorial garden.

The Governor, Sir Robert Black, opened it on March 2, 1962. 

In the past few decades, more than 10,000 arts troupes - local and from overseas - have performed inside.

It has also set the scene for important ceremonies and celebrations. Several former governors were sworn in here, and many dignitaries from all parts of the world have paid a visit to the complex. It is also a popular setting for weddings.

Birth of first public library & art museum

It stands undisputed as an icon and a milestone in the history of Hong Kong: Its High Block housed the first public library and art museum.

The City Hall Public Library, the first of its kind in Hong Kong, officially opened on March 5, 1962.

Apart from its growing stock of books and reading materials, the library's facilities and services have been constantly upgraded. Since 1994, it has been fully computerised.

To meet increasing needs, it was renovated last year and the Reference Library has been transformed into a specialised reference library, focused on providing business and industrial information.

Its 1962 inauguration also gave rise to modern museum service in Hong Kong.

A newly designed museum, the City Hall Art Gallery, was located on the 10th and 11th floors of the High Block. In 1969, it was renamed the Hong Kong Art & Museum Gallery.

As a result of its expanding collections and increasing number of exhibitions, in 1975, the Hong Kong Art & Museum Gallery was split into the Hong Kong Museum - later renamed the Hong Kong Museum of History - and the Hong Kong Museum of Art, after a restructuring. They moved out from City Hall in 1975 and 1991, respectively.

Growing up with Hong Kong

While the shrine at the Memorial Garden houses records of wartime sufferings, the Marriage Registry, which opened in the same year as City Hall, has witnessed the formation of hundreds of thousands of families as couples took their wedding vows.