The year 1871 in architecture involved some significant events.

Events

• Abraham Hirsch is appointed chief architect of the French city of Lyon.
• Martin & Chamberlain are appointed architects for the Birmingham board schools in England.^[1]
• (end of year) – At the Vienna Hofburg, groundbreaking is held for the new Imperial Natural History Museum (German: K.k. Naturhistorisches Hofmuseum), beginning a 20-year construction project.

Buildings and structures

Buildings opened

• March 29 – The Royal Albert Hall in London, designed by Francis Fowke and H. Y. Darracott Scott.^[2]
• September 14 – Hokkaidō Shrine, Sapporo, Japan.
• September 27 – Rochdale Town Hall, England, designed by William Henry Crossland.
• October 15 – Church of the Holy Name of Jesus, Manchester, England, designed by Joseph A. Hansom & Son.^[3]

Buildings completed

• Alexandria City Hall, Virginia, USA, designed by Adolph Cluss
• Christ Church, Nazareth, Israel
• Church of Saint-Augustin, Paris, designed by Victor Baltard
• Fort Teremba, New Caledonia^[4]
• Jacob Kamm House, Portland, Oregon, USA, designed by Justus F. Krumbein^[5]
• Lehrter Bahnhof, Berlin, designed by Alfred Lent, Bertold Scholz and Gottlieb Henri Lapierre.

Awards

• RIBA Royal Gold Medal – James Fergusson
• Grand Prix de Rome, architecture: Émile Ulmann [fr].

Births

• April 12 – August Endell, German Jugendstil architect and designer (died 1925)
• August 22 – Émile André, French architect, artist and furniture designer (died 1933)
• September 10 – Thomas Adams, British urban planner (died 1940)

Deaths

• January 4 – Lewis Vulliamy, English architect (born 1791)
• September 1 – Sir James Pennethorne, English architect and planner (born 1801)
• October 9 – Niels Sigfred Nebelong, Danish historicist architect (born 1806)