Pasadena City Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pasadena City Hall |
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Pasadena City Hall
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| Location | Pasadena, California, U.S. |
| Established | 1927 |
| Governing body | City of Pasadena |
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Pasadena City Hall
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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| Location | Pasadena, California |
| Part of | Pasadena Civic Center District (ID80000813) |
| Added to NRHP | July 28, 1980 |
Pasadena City Hall is a very important building in Pasadena, California. It was finished in 1927. This building is where the city government works. It's also a great example of a special building style from the 1920s called the City Beautiful movement.
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History of Pasadena City Hall
In 1923, the people of Pasadena voted to spend $3.5 million. This money was for building a new city center. Pasadena City Hall was planned to be the main building in this new center.
The famous architecture company Bakewell and Brown designed City Hall. They were from San Francisco. The building mixes two beautiful styles: Mediterranean Revival Style and Spanish Colonial Revival Style.
City Hall was finished on December 27, 1927. It cost about $1.3 million to build. The building is 361 feet (110 meters) long and 242 feet (74 meters) wide. It has six floors. Inside, there are over 235 rooms and hallways. They cover more than 170,000 square feet (15,793 square meters).
The most famous part is the large dome. It is above the west entrance. The dome is 26 feet (8 meters) tall. It is also 54 feet (16 meters) wide. On July 28, 1980, Pasadena City Hall became a National Historic Place. This means it is a very important historical site.
Making City Hall Safe from Earthquakes
Even though Pasadena City Hall looked strong, it was getting old by the late 1900s. The building was built in the 1920s. It did not meet new safety rules for buildings. Experts worried that a big earthquake could damage it badly. This could even cause people to get hurt.
The concrete walls had many deep cracks. Two of the stair towers were also damaged. Years of storms had caused water damage too. Not much repair work had been done. In the late 1990s, a plan started to fix the building. The company Architectural Resources Group from San Francisco led this project.
Big Renovation Project
In July 2004, everyone moved out of the building. This allowed for a complete repair and update. For three years, every office and meeting room was made new. The outside of the building was fixed. It was also updated to be easy for everyone to use, including people with disabilities.
The heating and cooling systems were replaced with modern ones. New plants were added outside. Special lights were also put in to make the building look great at night.
Earthquake Protection
To protect the building from future earthquakes, a special method was used. The entire building was lifted up from its foundation. Then, special devices called structural base isolators were put underneath. These isolators act like shock absorbers. They help the building move safely during an earthquake. A new, stronger foundation was also built.
The renovation of Pasadena City Hall was very successful. It even earned a LEED Gold certification. This means it was rebuilt using environmentally friendly methods.
After the construction, staff started moving back in April 2007. By July, City Hall was fully open again. The Los Angeles Times newspaper wrote about it. They said Pasadena loves its historic buildings. City Hall is one of the most important ones. Even though the repairs cost $117 million, city leaders knew they had to protect this landmark from future earthquakes.
See also
In Spanish: Palacio Municipal de Pasadena para niños
