The City Hall building in Kirkkokatu 2 was designed by J. E. Stenberg in 1887. It first served as Oulu Social Club, then a hotel and restaurant. Although Oulu Social Club was still under construction at the time, the ballroom was introduced in 1886, because the venue was needed for celebrating the opening of a brand new railway to Oulu.

Right behind the City Hall, you can find the beloved figures of Ajan kulku ("Passing of Time" by Sanna Koivisto, 2005) sculpture, portraying the people of Oulu from the 17th century until present day. The residents of today's Oulu eagerly knit clothes for the figures all through the year, particularly for little boy Matti who represents the future of Oulu.