The stripped, abstracted classical architecture often complemented with Art Deco detailing for civic and commercial buildings between the two world wars is evident in this large, dignified building. Interior murals (1937–1938) by New York artist Gifford Reynolds Beal, a student of William Merrit Chase, depict such local history as the arrival of the Liberty Bell to Hamilton Street; a parade of the town's militia (known as the First Defenders) to Washington, D.C., to help defend the capital during the Civil War; and the establishment of Allentown's heavy industry.