The old city hall, which had survived two fires, was constructed next to the Quequechan River, the source of power for the early textile mills.

A wing of the current building, which contains the city council chambers is located at the west end of the site, closer to South Main Street.

A plaza was created north of the new city hall, between the adjacent United States Post Office.

In March 1999, several concrete slabs, which formed the ceiling of the tunnel beneath Government Center, fell onto the westbound lanes of Interstate 195.

[5] With the slabs removed, the underside of Government Center became vulnerable to fire in the event of an accident within the tunnel.

State and local officials therefore decided that all trucks carrying hazardous cargo, such as gasoline or oil, would not be allowed to pass along the interstate beneath the building.