On 24 June 1894, President Sadi Carnot was assassinated leaving the building by the anarchist Caserio under the windows located on the Rue de la République.
It is composed of four corner pavilions and a central hall, called the "Salle de la Corbeille".
The decoration of the building, both in its facades that its interior, reflects its destination: the statues of Justice, the Temperance, Agriculture, Trade and Industry.
The exterior white marble statue, near the stairs and the Place des Cordeliers, is an allegory that personified the Saône and Rhône joining their arms to point to the future.
Most paintings of interior ceilings are the work of artists from Lyon such as Antoine Claude Ponthus-Cinier or Jean-Baptiste Beuchot.