In the fall of 1969, many Grand Rapids citizens watched with horror and dismay as the wrecking ball completed its destruction of the old City Hall. Located at the corner of Lyon Street and Ottawa Avenue, the 1888 Romanesque Revival building was designed by Elijah E. Myers, architect of state capitols buildings in Michigan, Texas, and Colorado.

The struggle to save the old City Hall marked a turning point in the preservation movement in Grand Rapids. Many people felt that the loss of such an architectural treasure to the enveloping tide of urban renewal was a signal to begin a more thoughtful and balanced approach to urban growth.

The Grand Rapids Public Museum has several architectural elements from the old City Hall on exhibit including the encaustic floor tiles that filled the building, the clock mechanism that crowned its tower, and the allegorical figures of Night and Day that stood guard outside the front entrance.