Built in 1932 in the Colonial Revival style, the building was designed by Allen and Collens, with landscaping by the renowned Olmsted Brothers.

[1] Newton City Hall is located in central Newton, and occupies a large triangular lot bounded on the north by Commonwealth Avenue, on the southwest by Homer Street, and on the east by Walnut Street.

The building is a monumental brick Georgian Revival structure, two stories in height, with a central north-south section, flanking wings that project forward (to the east) at either end, and a rear wing extending from the center to the west.

The western portion of the building, which serves as the war memorial, is crowned by an elaborate steeple.

[3] The triangular parcel was landscaped by the Olmsted Brothers, specifically to soften the large scale of the building.