The coat-of-arms of the Brihanmumbai Mahanagarpalika (Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai) is prominently displayed on the facade of the BMC building. It is a four-panel shield surmounted by a heraldic lion and a blooming lotus at the base. The Sanskrit motto यतो धर्मस्ततो जय: Yato Dharmas Tato Jayaḥ (Where there is Righteousness, there shall be Victory) is inscribed in gold at the bottom.
Frederick W. Stevens was primarily influenced by Gothic architecture, and it is in Gothic that most of his projects were executed. Within the Gothic genre, Stevens had a particular liking for Venetian Gothic, which originated in Italy in the twelfth century. Inspired from Venetian Gothic, Stevens used stained-glass windows extensively throughout the BMC building.
Detail of brackets inside the BMC building. These were inspired from Hindu temple architecture. The amalgamation of Hindu and Islamic architectural details with the overall Gothic style was a delicate and gradual process which Frederick Stevens successfully managed to balance, thereby guaranteeing his pre-eminence in this style during the zenith of Bombay Gothic architecture.
A prominent member of the Parsi community in Bombay, Sir Pherozeshah Mehta drafted the Bombay Municipal Act of 1872 and is thus considered 'Father of Bombay Municipality'. He became municipal commissioner of Bombay Municipality in 1873 and its president four times—1884, 1885, 1905 and 1911. A statue of Sir Pherozeshah Mehta was installed in front of the BMC building in honor of his role in the establishment of the municipality.