The hall was built between 1888–1889, and was largely a donation from Frederick Hastings Rindge. Architects were Longfellow, Alden, & Harlow (Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow, Jr., 1854–1934; Frank E. Alden, 1859–1908; and Alfred B. Harlow, 1857–1927). The building is three stories tall, with a bell tower that rises to 158 feet. Load-bearing stone walls are of Milford granite trimmed with Longmeadown brownstone.
City hall houses offices for the city council, the city manager and several municipal departments. In addition to the main City Hall building, the city of Cambridge also houses several other departments a couple of city blocs away in a building known as the City Hall Annex. The City Hall Annex is located at the corner of Broadway and Inman Street.
On May 17, 2004, shortly after midnight, the first legal applications in the United States for marriage licenses for same-sex couples were issued at Cambridge City Hall. At 9:15 a.m. that day, the Cambridge City Clerk began solemnizing same-sex marriages.1Seesame-sex marriage in Massachusetts.
