It was built to replace the former city hall designed by architects Kelvin Crawford Stanley and Maxwell Dewar in 1957, which had become outdated and expensive to operate.

[6][7] The building features two steel and glass pyramids, one 43 metres (141 ft) (ground to peak), on top of a three-storey concrete structure.

[9] Located on the eastern edge of the financial district in Edmonton's downtown, the building is the main feature on Sir Winston Churchill Square.

The building was temporarily renamed the "Nathan Fillion Civilian Pavilion" for 24 hours in August 2021, for the debut of his most recent film.

A firebombs and shooting attack occurred inside Edmonton City Hall on January 23, 2024, causing an estimated $100,000 of property damages.