City Hall, Berkeley, California
Berkeley California’s venerable Old City Hall will be demolished by neglect if current plans to “board it up” when vacated are not changed. If the Council simply ordered it demolished outright it would cost them good will and votes. In lieu of the wreaking ball, or community support “old” City Hall could face a slow and painful demise. The elegant Beaux-Arts style City Hall served as the home of city government from 1909 to 1977 when city offices were moved across Civic Center Park into a larger office building. “Old” City Hall was turned over to the Unified School District, but the council continued to meet there. Because of seismic safety issues the building will be vacated. The estimated price tag for seismic upgrade, without benefit of a current evaluation, has risen inexplicably from 20 to 40 million. When Berkeley’s City Hall was completed in 1909, its cupola rose above the existing downtown and reflected Berkeley’s growth from a town to a city; an early work by John Bakewell and Arthur Brown, Jr. designers of San Francisco City Hall (1912-1916) and Opera House (1932). City Hall was Berkeley’s first designated landmark in 1975 and is listed on the National Register.
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