You can't fight City Hall. In the Civic Center district of downtown Los Angeles, an impressive steel building stands as one of the tallest earthquake resistant structures in the world. Completed in 1928, the 32-floor building looms 454 feet above downtown LA's noisy pavement. City Hall is the Los Angeles government headquarters and houses the mayor's office as well as the Los Angeles City Council's meeting chambers.
The structure has undergone a seismic retrofit that allows the building to remain intact and fully functional after the magnitude of a massive 8.2 earthquake. In a tribute to its neighborhoods, sand was gathered from each of California's 52 counties and water from its 21 historical missions to form the cement used in the City Hall building. The Los Angeles City Hall's architectural shape was largely modeled after the Persian-inspired Tomb of Mausolus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
From 1928 until 1964, City Hall was the tallest structure in Los Angeles and became a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1976. On the 27th floor, an observation room is open to the general public. Room 300 of the structure has been historically the mayor's office, while the Los Angeles City Council meets in their chambers every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10am. The building has been featured in several popular movies and television shows such as the home of the Daily Planet (Superman's employer) in the 1950s Adventures of Superman TV series as well as other hit television programs including Alias and Dragnet. The structure also played a prominent role in the 1953 version of the feature film War of the Worlds.
Attraction Information
- Hours:
- Monday through Friday: 7:30am to 5pm
- Admission:
- Free
- Contact:
- Location: 200 North Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA
- Phone: 213-485-2121
- Website: www.lacity.org
