The venue was designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd in the modern style, built in red brick and was officially opened in June 1968.

[1][2] It opened with a performance by blues singer John Mayall, and has staged concerts by bands such as The Who in November 1968,[3] Dire Straits in July 1978[4] and Jethro Tull in March 2010.

[5] Soon after opening the City Hall began hosting regular "Civic Discos", on Mondays for teenagers and on Saturday nights (with occasional live music) for older patrons.

The Monday night disc jockeys included the London impresario "Rocky Rivers" and Jeff Spencer.

Later DJs included Graham Kentsley,[6] who hosted a series of events celebrating 50 years of the Civic Disco[7][8] in aid of the New St Albans Museum, which opened in 2018.