The city hall was completed in 1844, with its scale and design reflective of Kingston's status as the capital of the Province of Canada at that time.

Architect George Browne, who had moved to Kingston from Quebec with the new government, won the design contest and drew the plans.

[2] The cornerstone was laid on 5 June 1843 by Governor General Charles Metcalfe at the location of the market overlooking the waterfront.

[3] The new city hall was constructed of limestone in the form of a T and incorporated a new market building that extended west toward King Street.

[4] Since Kingston entered into a recession when the seat of government moved to Montreal in May 1844, town council was concerned about paying for the large building and so began renting out space.

[7] Memorial Hall, located in the north wing, includes twelve stained glass windows that pay tribute to those who fought in several First World War battles.

As the force expanded, it outgrew its allotted space and so the police headquarters moved into a separate building, which was completed in 1972.

[13] The square was revitalized during 2005–07, creating an outdoor skating rink and small amphitheatres in the north and south courtyards of city hall.

[16] The square was the location where the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, John Graves Simcoe, proclaimed the Constitutional Act 1791 which established Upper Canada as a separate jurisdiction, where the beginning of the War of 1812 was announced, and in 1867, was the location where Canadian Confederation was proclaimed.

Established in 1967 on formerly-industrial waterfront land, it includes a large arch with a fountain and the Confederation Basin Marina.

[22][23] Kingston City Hall also appears briefly as an unnamed government building in Buffalo, New York, in 2015's Crimson Peak.

[24][25][26][27][28][29] Kingston City Hall and Market Square appeared on the seventh episode of The Amazing Race Canada 4 in 2016.

[30] Kingston City Hall and Market Square appeared in the Murdoch Mysteries episode "Rigid Silence" in 2020.