Biddeford became a city in 1855, and its government first met in the Somes Building at Washington and Main Streets. After the Central Block burned in 1858, destroying what had been the largest wooden building north of Boston and a structure that housed Beethoven Hall, several storefronts, and the Union and Journal newspapers, the city decided in 1860 to rebuild both to replace the lost businesses and to gain a home of its own. It bought land at the corner of Main and South Streets and erected a Napoleon III-style building with a mansard roof and an Opera House. That building burned down to the first floor in 1894, and architect John Calvin Stevens preserved the first floor to reduce costs while greatly improving the utility and appearance of the building.