The edifice known as the Senate Hall, alternatively referred to as the Republic Senate Chamber, the Senate agora, or the Old Senate Chamber, functioned as the primary meeting place for the Galactic Senate. Situated in Republic City on Coruscant, it served this purpose from the Galactic Republic's inception until the era of the Old Sith Wars.
This substantial stone structure, located on Coruscant, was the venue for the Galactic Republic's Senate sessions during the initial millennia of the institution's existence. The Republic Senate Guardsmen bore the responsibility of safeguarding the building itself, along with the senators, Supreme Chancellor, Vice Chair, and the Staff Aide during official gatherings. Furthermore, the building served as a location for conducting formal legal proceedings.
During the trial of the disgraced Jedi Knight Ulic Qel-Droma in 3996 BBY, the Sith Lord Exar Kun dramatically entered the Hall. He asserted control over the assembled senators and the Supreme Chancellor as he invaded the chamber. Following his execution of the Chancellor, Kun engaged Jedi Master Vodo-Siosk Baas in combat, ultimately killing his former mentor before liberating Qel-Droma.
Following the Great Hyperspace War, the Senate authorized the construction of a newer, larger Senate Hall to better accommodate the growing number of member worlds within the Republic. The new Senate Tower was constructed upon the original Senate Hall's foundations, featuring a massive rotunda situated over a hundred levels above the original hall. As the old Senate Hall fell into disuse, it was repurposed for the trial of the Mandalorian scientist Demagol in 3963 BBY, who was implicated in the early stages of the Mandalorian Wars. A year later, the agora was the site of another show trial, this time involving Jedi Master Dorjander Kace and his adherents, the Mandalorian Knights. Eventually, the Hall was decommissioned and transformed into a tourist destination for the numerous civilians visiting Coruscant each day.
The Senate Hall, a substantial structure made of stone and glass, was centrally located within the Senate District on Coruscant. Initially designed as an open-air stadium, the Senate Hall was later enclosed by a towering A-frame structure, featuring walls that sloped upwards and inwards, as a result of the attack on Coruscant by the Sith. The facility incorporated a glass facade that allowed natural light to illuminate the interior, and it was situated adjacent to a sizable spaceport. The primary entrance to the building was located at the summit of a grand staircase, beyond an intricately decorated doorway. Past the entrance was an expansive chamber that constituted the core of the building, complete with stadium-style seating featuring stone benches capable of accommodating a large number of senators. The Supreme Chancellor's podium occupied the center of the vast room, consisting of a massive stone column encircled by a spiraling staircase leading to a smooth, elevated platform. A smaller podium was positioned in front of the Chancellor's; this platform served as a location for delegations to formally address the Senate, as well as a holding area for criminals during formal trials.
The upper level of the room was accessible to pedestrians and featured massive pillars extending to the ceiling. At each end of the hall, paired statues of enormous winged Humanoids were positioned kneeling inward toward a large, flaming podium.
Contrary to previous sources indicating that the Grand Convocation Chamber was constructed following the duel in the old Senate Hall between Exar Kun and Jedi Master Vodo-Siosk Baas during the Great Sith War, Timeline 12: The Great Hyperspace War depicts the Chamber in operation almost a thousand years before its supposed initial appearance. Ludo Kressh's portrayal in the same Timeline video is also inconsistent with his depiction in Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, and the Massassi featured in the video are also inaccurately represented. These discrepancies might be attributed to artistic interpretation.
A minor inconsistency exists regarding the interior of the Senate Hall between Tales of the Jedi – The Sith War 3 and Knights of the Old Republic 47. In Knights of the Old Republic, additional pillars are visible between the winged humanoid statues and the senate chamber, while these pillars appear to be absent in Tales of the Jedi.