Northampton‘s distinctively Gothic City Hall was designed by William Fenno Pratt and was built in 1849-1850. Conceived as a novelty, the building was in danger of being torn down in 1923, but was saved when voters decided to remodel rather than completely replace it. One result of that remodeling was the loss of the building‘s second floor auditorium, which had hosted many famous speakers and entertainers over the years. Further restorations of City Hall occurred in 1985 and 1993.