The most ambitious building in Plattsburgh, an oversized Beaux-Arts City Hall designed in 1917 by John Russell Pope (architect of the Jefferson Memorial and the National Gallery in Washington). The cream-coloured marble facade, the tall Corinthian portico, and the central rotunda are far grander than the size of the city would suggest — the building was funded by a single benefaction from Smith M. Weed, a railroad and banking magnate who wanted to leave a lasting monument.
Walk into the rotunda during business hours to see the marble floor, the wrought-iron balcony, and the 1920s murals. Free, friendly, and almost always empty. The surrounding City Hall Park has the Macdonough Monument and several benches with views down to the lake.