In 1880 a fire destroyed the city hall in Albany, New York. In the ashes of the old building, Henry Hobson Richardson would this time construct a bigger one, one which emulated his Romanesque style, and one that the city of Albany could be proud of, and so he did. Richardson, who was also working on the New York State capitol at the time, secured the commission for the replacement for the city hall after competing against five other architectural firms. The building was built between 1880 to 1883. It is without a doubt one of Richardsons most Romanesque designs with banded arches, a large tower placed on the corner, rhythmic fenestration, and bold use of materials. The building is laid out in a simple rectangle formation. The building is three-and-a-half stories tall. Besides the asymmetrical tower placement, the building is rather simple in its design. Its exterior is made of granite and features a brownstone trim. It features arched windows on the first and second floors. The roofs are redbrick red and are peaked in a traditional gothic style. The interior is also simplistic but still magnificent. Richarson, lacking funds, decided to spend most of his efforts on the exterior, hoping that feature architects would finish the interior space. The city finished the interior roughly thirty years after Richardson finished it. The building, in all its glory, is a great example of Richardsons Romanesque style.