[1] On 7 June 1876, Councillor E. H. Higham suggested that the council should approach the Colonial Secretary to have a government reserve, on the corner of South Terrace and Essex Street, set aside to build a town hall.

The use of the site was approved by the state governor, William Robinson, who offered convict labour for the construction as well as free design and specification preparation by the government engineer, and promised to seek a liberal grant from the Legislative Council for the construction project.

On 11 July a ratepayers' meeting talked of the funds needed to build the town hall and W. E. Marmion unsuccessfully suggested that a more central site in High Street be purchased instead.

Children attending government schools in Perth and Fremantle received an extra week's holiday.

Amongst the group was the landlord of the National Hotel in High Street, William Conroy, who gatecrashed the supper just after midnight, as the Mayor was congratulating the stewards and officials on the "happy conclusion of the Jubilee".

Local architects Griffiths and Considine, representing the Melbourne designers Grainger and D'Ebro, described the building thus:[2] The overall treatment to the elevation is a confident Victorian free style interpretation of classical architecture...the facades employ a multiplicity of classical elements including pediments, rusticated floor, Corinthian pilasters, pediment windows, urns, string courses, heavily moulded architraves and bas relief decoration – all rendered to appear stone...at the roof level "classicism" gives way to an exuberant array of towers not encountered in classical architecture.