This walking tour begins at City Hall, which has been at the centre of Newcastle cultural and political life since it was completed in 1929. The first actions to establish a new town hall were recorded in 1888 but a final site and design for the hall were not agreed upon until 1925. Newcastle City Hall was designed by acclaimed architect Henry Eli White. The building contains a concert hall that seats 844 people, a dining room and servery, office spaces and the Council Chambers. The Hall is constructed of Sydney sandstone, adorned with Roman Doric and Ionic columns and dominated by its tower and four-sided three-metre diameter clock. City Hall has performed a variety of roles in the decades since its construction. During the Second World War, it was the nerve centre for the civilian response to an attack on the city and hosted free concerts for international and local troops seeking entertainment. The City Hall continues to host concerts, ceremonies and meetings of the elected Newcastle City Council today. Next to City Hall is the City Administration Centre, known to many as The Roundhouse or The Champagne Cork, this building was constructed to accommodate the various departments of Newcastle City Council in 1977 as the City Hall could no longer accommodate the growing workforce. A roughly triangular parcel of land next to the City Hall was chosen to construct a purpose-built administration centre. With deep recessed windows to cut down on the heat from the sun, the building’s precast concrete columns were finished to match the colour and texture of the City Hall stonework. Between City Hall and the Council Admin Centre is the Corm sculpture, presented by BHP Pty Ltd to Newcastle City Council to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the opening of City Hall. The 1.5m tall bronze sculpture was inspired in both title and form by the fleshy stem found in plants. The sculpture was created by artist Marilyn McGrath who described the work as an organic sculpture designed to provide a link between the constructed environment and nature.