The Penang Town Hall, completed in 1883, is the older of two grand white civic buildings facing the Padang. It was the seat of the colonial city council and the venue for the bowls clubs, balls and concerts of late-Victorian Penang. The two-storey Renaissance Revival design — pediments, columns, balconies, gleaming white stucco — was modelled on European municipal halls and built using imported materials and convict labour.
The interior is closed for most of the year except for occasional public events; the building is used as a heritage and ceremonial space rather than a working town hall. The exterior is the attraction, particularly at sunrise or just after when the white walls catch the gold light off the harbour. The slightly later City Hall next door, completed in 1903, is its taller and more elaborate cousin. The Padang green between them is the city's traditional cricket and parade ground.