A City Hall Virtual Tour TOUR OFFICE | COURTYARD | N. PORTAL | W. PORTAL | S. PORTAL | E. PORTAL | MAYOR'S RECEPTION RM. | CONVERSATION HALL | NE STAIRS | CAUCUS ROOM | SUPREME COURT | GRAND STAIR | LAW LIBRARY | TOWER | EXIT TOUR

he Grand Stair, or south entrance stairway, is another example of the importance the architect gave to stairs in an era before vertical transportation via the elevator was available.
he first stairway to be completed in 1882, the Grand Stair begins at the ground floor inside the south portal. It rises the full height of the building and has exits on the second, fourth, and sixth floors. It was intended for use by those involved with the courts, most of which are located in the southern, judicial wing of the building.

iry, yet ponderous, the broad staircase rises amid large window openings and marble columns. Reliefs of youths by Alenander Milne Calder are carved into the stair panels similar to the treatment of panels in the east portal. The entire stairway was probably a model for the executive stairs in the east, which has similiar limestone walls, granite steps and base, and heavy carved limestone railings. The scale here is simply much greater, as we look up at the coffered ceiling, a full seven stories above the ground.

idway between the fifth and sixth floors, we find the bust of John Mcarthur. The dedication plaque from the Building Commissioners is the only official recognition in the building given to its architect.

nfortunatly, with the incorporation of elevators into the building in 1888, the Grand Stair fell into disuse. It remains that way today, and is perhaps a prime example of how much of City Hall's grand design would be considered obsolete, even before the building was completed. Keeping the building up with modern technology, codes, and changing office requirements, is a problem that has plagued city officials since the turn of the century. Despite the fact that its designers made every effort to incorporate the most modern technology of the time into the structure, its critics still consider it to be an aging relic.

xiting at the sixth floor, we'll again head to the north side for a look at another historic room that has lost much of its original grandeur, room 600 the LAW LIBRARY.