Patino Central Hall

The observation balcony of Central was in its third wing, and with careful steps, Thanie made her way up the corkscrew stairway. Whoever designed this part of the building clearly had no concern for ordinary welfare; the stairway was on the exterior of the building, with only handgrips along the central column to provide support, with no railing to speak of. Inexplicably, the balcony had no actual doorway or entrance to the interior of the building, necessitating the climb along the windy face.
It wasn't a particularly tall stairway, however, and the view from the balcony was exquisite. Patino Central Hall was the tallest building in Patino that wasn't either built into the waterfall cliff face, or wasn't itself in the Upper Ward. There was a clear line of sight through the Crafter's Ward, past the third Lower Ward tenements and cookhouses, into the crystal blue of the Feryll Sea at the mouth of the Inix River. Reciprocating rods crisscrossed the buildings of the city in haphazard ways, their steady churn lending a deep hum to the scene.
The plaque on the balcony railing (there was a railing here but not on the stairway itself, Thanie noted sourly) had a quick inscription:
"The climb you just made is an attempt to recreate the experience of the builders of the Patino Waterworks - the endless hammering and chiselling of the cisterns and emplacement of the waterwheels, and Etoile's re-routing of the Inix River in the name of Progress. Signed, Principal Architect Rosie Ermine Renaud."
Thanie rolled her eyes. Of course this was all some pretentious art piece. She sat on the balcony and pulled her lunch from her satchel. Magistrate Haideri was in some heated conversation about the nature of Consortium influence in the city, but she had figured there was little use in sitting in the room with a blank half-smile on her face. Instead, she had treated herself with some fresh rolls and chicken skewers from one of the food carts outside Central, and had decided to climb to the observation post on a lark. 
One of the windows in the building face behind her opened, and a woman's head popped out. "Hey! You know you're not supposed to be there, right?"
Thanie waved. "It was a rickety climb, but it seems sturdy enough. I'm just here to enjoy my lunch."
"No, it's actually been closed off because it's super dangerous. The architect who made that staircase was sent to jail after someone fell off." The woman waved. "Either climb into the building here or descend before you get blown off, too."

Purpose / Function

The Patino Central Hall is the equivalent of City Hall in most other large settlements of the Principality of Etoile. It is the center of government in Patino, where government is decided by the joint interests of the people of Patino as well as the Joint Consortiums. As such, all relevant parties maintain offices in Central; the Mayor and the Patino Council preside over meetings, but the relevant members of the Joint Consortiums are also active in Central, cloistered in their own wing. This speaks to the level of influence the Consortiums have over the Machine City - virtually no decisions in the city can be made without it being of some benefit to a Consortium interest.
The building itself runs most of the administration of Patino, the Machine City including all government services and management. Notably, the Patino District Commander does not have a presence in Central, maintaining their own Headquarters on the opposite side of the Crafter's Ward.

Alterations

While initially constructed as a simple office block for the administration of Patino, it has been expanded with three additional wings to accommodate the array of offices needed for Consortium activity. This construction, similar to that of most of the wards of Patino, is haphazard; the building is remarkably ugly due to clashing, non-reconciled architectural styles added over the last hundred years.

Architecture

The original building of Central is modeled after the style of the Capital during the time of the First Princeps - stone and mortar whitewashed, with red tile roofs, with a columned facade to convey a sense of grandeur. Unfortunately, the clashing wings disperse such an impression quickly; the two older wings are built as though they themselves housed manufactory lines - ramshackle wooden construction in simple rectangular blocks, four stories tall and dwarfing the original government office. The third wing is, somehow, worse - an experimental construction of exposed ironwork lattices and gypsum, twisting haphazardly into the sky, the result of the Joint Consortiums commissioning an outsider art competition. Though a strange building, Central is not out of place in Patino proper, as similar haphazard buildings are scattered across the city.

Defenses

Other than a guard post just outside the main doors, Central is a public building and not built as a defensive redoubt.

History

The original charter of Patino was that of a largely state-owned enterprise; the first manufactories of Arsenal Ward were built and run at the direct orders of the First Princeps and managed by his appointed District Commander. As soon as private enterprises began to open their own manufactory lines and new residents were attracted, it was realized that Patino would require its own city government, and Central Hall was raised not long afterward.
While the nature of government in Patino has slowly evolved and grown (in comparison to the breakneck pace of growth of the city proper), Central remains the seat of ordinary government and where citizens of Patino can receive redress of grievances. The nature of the deals struck and bargains reached in the halls of Central have undoubtedly shifted towards those of subterfuge, but Central itself remains a static edifice.

Founding Date

633

Alternative Names

Central

Type

Ministry / City hall

Parent Location

Patino, the Machine City

Owning Organization

Principality of Etoile