The city hall and the plaza were built in the location of the former convent of San Agustín, located on the banks of the estuary. The convent was destroyed during the
First Carlist War and demolished the following years. In 1883, the
government authorized the
Bilbao City Council to use the location to build a new city hall, the council was previously based in
Old Town. The plaza was formerly known as
Primo de Rivera plaza, its name was changed to Ernesto Erkoreka plaza on 4 June 1980, after
Ernesto Erkoreka, former mayor of Bilbao and republican politician. == Points of interest ==