The land on which the Council House and adjacent Museum and Art Gallery are located was purchased in 1853. This land consisted of Ann Street which was home to properties such as the "Cabinet of Curiosities", a clothes shop advertised as "An exhibition for the curious observer of natural phenomena". The building had a clock tower topped with a flagpole. The top was castellated and the walls were whitewashed and adorned in advertisements and messages. The last tenants of the building were the Suffield family, ancestors of J. R. R. Tolkien. The land was earmarked for development, however constant financial difficulties put all development on hold until 1871 when the council finally agreed to build offices on the site. A design competition was established and the council received 29 entries, which was disappointing in comparison to the 179 entries Sheffield and Birmingham received. However a decision was delayed by further financial difficulties. The council was then split over the Gothic entry by Martin & Chamberlain and the classical entry by Yeoville Thomason.
Construction and extensions
Thomason's design was chosen; however amendments to the art gallery entrance and clock tower were made. The clock and tower are known locally as "Big Brum". Construction commenced on the building in 1874 when the first stone was laid by the then mayor Joseph Chamberlain. The building was completed in 1879 and cost £163,000. A debate was held to decide the name of the building: the options were The Municipal Hall, Council House and Guildhall. The Council House was extended almost immediately, in 1881-85. The architect was again Yeoville Thomason. This was a combined art gallery, museum, and the home of the corporation's Gas Department, whose budget subsidised the building, as legislation limited the expenditure of ratepayers' taxes on the arts. Above the main entrance, which faces Victoria Square, is a mosaic by Salviati Burke and Co. of Venice. Above that, the pediment shows Britannia receiving the manufacturers of Birmingham. Victoria Square itself was once occupied by Christ Church, a building which was demolished in 1899. On 9 August 1902, The Council House, along with the Town Hall, was illuminated in celebration of the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. The Council House was extended a second time in 1911-19 with a new block to the north and connected to the original building by an intricately designed archway. The archway or bridge slightly resembles The Bridge of Sighs in Venice. The extension contains the Feeney Art Galleries.
Memorials
Many memorials are housed within the Council House. Most are not available for viewing by the public except upon request. Memorials within the Council House are:
To the citizens of Birmingham from the Belgian exiles during World War I.
To the staff of the Board of Guardians who served and died in World War I.
The foyer featured in the Cliff Richard film Take Me High, made to appear as a hotel lobby. The glass corridor, banqueting suite and other parts also doubled as a hotel in Stephen Poliakoff's Dancing on the Edge.
