Town Hall: Why is the most important municipal building called a “hall”, as in town hall and city hall? The common image of a hall is that it is a corridor into which other rooms enter, not a destination onto itself. For that matter, and the same question, why use the word “hall” to describe Carnegie Hall and other such venues? This is what the visitor thought as he was invited to meet the Westport First Selectman, which only caused him to wonder what happened to calling the highest elected official “mayor”.