Although the earliest Europeans settled at the end of Otago Harbour in the early 1830s, the town was not officially founded until 1848, became the capital of the now defunct Otago Province in 1853 and was incorporated in 1855. After the discovery of gold in Gabriel’s Gully in 1861, Dunedin grew wealthy during the 1860s Otago Gold Rush. Eager to leverage its prosperity, architect Robert Lawson was retained to create the Neo-Renaissance design of the Dunedin Town Hall. The 165 foot clock tower still defines The Octagon’s central plaza. Since an adjacent, Neo-Baroque addition was finished in 1930, this has been renamed the Municipal Chambers. It is home to the Dunedin City Council.
