Old Council Chambers

The Old Council Chambers was built in 1915, to replace the original timber Council Chambers, which were located on Terralong Street, across the street from the Court House on Black Beach.

The site chosen for the new the Council Chambers and Council offices was in Manning Street, between the ES&A Bank and the School of Arts (which no longer exists). A £2000 grant from the NSW State Government was obtained to construct the building.

The foundation stone was laid in February 1915 by the Mayoress, Mrs Thomas Love. A bottle containing parchment, coins and copies of Kiama and Sydney newspapers (dated 15 February 1915) was laid beneath the foundation stone in a cavity. The building was constructed of brick laid on a concrete foundation. The interior bricks were from the Bulli brickworks and the exterior ones were from the State brickworks to present a nicer finish. The building was finished around the middle of 1915.

The Council Chambers building is of classic early Georgian architecture. The four huge 20-foot stone pillars were the main stand out feature of such a relatively smallish building. Initially, the offices downstairs were leased out to two businesses, while the upstairs housed the Council Chambers and offices.

The heritage-listed building served as the chambers for council meetings until 1982, and is now used for council administration offices and meeting rooms.