The Old Town Hall was built in 1524 as a municipal administration building and served its purpose until the inauguration of a new town hall building on the market square in 1912. The bell tower was added in 1603. It houses the bell from the Lazarus Chapel, which was donated in 1485. Over the centuries, it was rebuilt and extended several times, and after 1912 it housed a wide variety of institutions. In December 1992, the tenancy agreement with Allianz Versicherungs AG, the last tenant in the eventful history of the use of this historic building, was terminated. Extensive renovation work began in May 1995. Measures to secure the fabric of the building had already been carried out beforehand. In a total of four construction phases from 1995 to 2001, the building was converted into the seat of the town archives and the historical library of the town of Rudolstadt. Since 2003, the Old Town Hall has been accessible to users and visitors of both institutions and for public events.