[1] Until the late 19th century Alloa lacked a public hall capable of accommodating a large number of people,[2] so when a director of John Paton Son and Co., John Thomson Paton, offered to pay for a town hall as a gift to the town,[3] burgh leaders agreed to accept the offer: the site they selected was occupied by some large private houses.

[4] The new building was designed by Alfred Waterhouse in the Renaissance style, built by G. & R. Cousin in ashlar stone at a cost of £18,008 and completed in 1889.

[1] Internally, the front block contained the council chamber on the first floor and an art school on the upper floors, while the hall block contained an assembly hall which accommodated a public library as well as an organ designed and made by Forster and Andrews.

[9][10] The building continued to be used as an events venue and the rock band, the Silver Beetles, performed at the town hall during a tour of Scotland as the backing group for the pop singer Johnny Gentle in May 1960.

[14] A major programme of refurbishment works at the town hall, including redecoration and the upgrading of the heating system, was completed in summer 2011.