This Richardsonian Romanesque city hall was designed by the Davenport architect John W. Ross after he won a national competition for the building. Ross employed the usual array of design features that had come to be associated with the style: a central open tower (more Spanish Romanesque than French) that works into the side of the principal gable; a round bay tower at one corner; a square hiproofed tower at the other end; and, of course, the familiar wide arched openings. The building's steel frame is clad in horizontal blocks of rough and smooth sandstone. The building was “restored” during 1979–1981. Regrettably the new metal-framed windows have been brought out close to the adjoining masonry walls, thereby destroying the quality of the original design.