Externally placed pipes drain rainwater from the roofs during the monsoon season. The pierced wooden jalis allow for the play of light and shade in the corridors of the building. They were made by Telugu-speaking craftsmen at the JJ School of Art and were meant to provide shade during summer months and protect the corridors from rain and sunlight.
The Corporation Hall has a collection of busts and statues of prominent personalities from Indian history, freedom fighters and eminent citizens of Mumbai who contributed greatly in the development of the city. Seen here are the busts of Dr B.R. Ambedkar, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.
Large framed portraits of prominent Mumbai citizens hang from the upper level of the Corporation Hall. This is Keshav Sitaram Thackeray (1885–1973), father of Balasaheb Thackeray, founder of the political party Shiv Sena. K.S. Thackeray was an author and social activist. He was also one of the key leaders of the Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti that campaigned for the creation of Maharashtra state based on linguistics and for inclusion of Mumbai as the capital of Maharashtra.
The Corporation Hall is richly detailed with moulded wooden panels covered in gold leaf. Busts of figures representing the various communities of Mumbai hold heraldic shields with the initials CB marked on them (CB stands for Corporation of Bombay). The ceiling is made of unpolished teakwood.
At the rear of the BMC building, at the end of the garden, Frederick Stevens installed a pyav (fountain) which was a source of drinking water for horses. This fountain has figures of birds on them, hence known as the Pigeon Fountain.
Post-independence, images of British administrators were removed, and new icons were added. Among the new installations was this portrait of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj placed in the lobby of the grand staircase. Not only is Shivaji Maharaj a national hero, during his lifetime, he was much praised for taking an interest in the welfare of his people, in line with the core objective of the BMC—to uplift the quality of life of Mumbai's citizenry.
Commemorative plaque dedicated to Frederick W. Stevens as the designer and superintendent of the Municipal Buildings. Below Stevens is his assistant and resident engineer, Rao Sahib Sitaram Khanderao, who would later design (with DN Mirza) the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. Also mentioned is Grattan Geary, who was President of the Corporation and friend of Stevens. Stevens had designed Geary's private villa at Lonavala.
Highlight of the BMC building is its spectacular central hall that greets visitors as they enter through the porte cochere. The hall is located directly below the inner dome and serves as an atrium, through which a grand staircase rises, flanked by a pair of winged lions. The staircase winds up to connect arcaded corridors that runs around the hollow central core.
Design for the BMC was to be selected via a competition open to architects from London. First prize was won by RF Chisholm who proposed a Hindu-Saracenic style. However, the project got delayed by a few years as new sites were considered. During the delay, Chisholm's design fell out of favour with authorities and call was made for fresh proposals.