Queen Square, one of Brunswick’s 14 original squares laid out in 1771 under the Oglethorpe Plan, was named to honor the ruling queens of England and became the most commercialized of the city’s original squares. In the late 1870s, as Brunswick’s fortunes and population grew, public opposition arose when a jail and guardhouse were built on part of the square, but although the jail was relocated, legislation later allowed certain public buildings there despite the city charter, ending plans to use Queen Square as a public park. In 1889, the City Commission chose the southwest corner of the square for a new City Hall reflecting Brunswick’s prosperity, selected a Richardson-Romanesque design by Savannah architect Alfred Eichberg, and awarded the construction contract to Anderson and Sharpe in January 1889 for $33,000, though economic setbacks delayed completion until 1893. The building housed city offices, a courtroom, and Brunswick Police headquarters, and by 1922 the police force had grown to include mounted officers able to reach neighborhoods on paved streets. Queen Square’s City Hall remained in use until 1964, when city offices moved to the Customs House on Gloucester Street. A major renovation was completed in 2003, including replacement of the 5,000-pound clock tower spire rising 110 feet above Newcastle Street, and Old City Hall has since served as a venue for weddings, civic events, and celebrations.