Los Angeles City Hall

Los Angeles City Hall, at 200 North Spring Street in the Civic Center of Downtown Los Angeles, California, was dedicated on April 26, 1928, and is one of the best-known civic buildings in the United States. Architects John C. Austin, John Parkinson and Albert C. Martin designed the 28-story tower, which rises about 454 feet and combines Art Deco massing with Byzantine, Romanesque and Classical Revival detail. Its pyramid-shaped top was inspired by the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. Until height limits were lifted in 1957 and new towers rose in the 1960s, it was the tallest building in the city, and the limit was lifted in 1964. The exterior is faced in white terracotta and granite, with a three-story base, and the building has been used by Hollywood as a stand-in for the Daily Planet in the 1950s Adventures of Superman television series and in the Dragnet title sequence. Inside, the rotunda has a patterned tile floor, a high dome with decorative ceiling, and marble-clad walls. The Tom Bradley Tower observation deck on the 27th floor provides views toward the Pacific Ocean and the San Gabriel Mountains on clear days. The building also contains the Council Chamber, the Mayor's offices and murals depicting the history of the region. The building was damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake and underwent a major seismic retrofit and restoration, completed in 2001, using base isolators and repairs to the facade, interior finishes and windows. It is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As a working government building, City Hall is not a museum, but the public can explore the lobby, rotunda and observation deck and take guided tours on selected days, which cover the architecture and the civic history of the city. Visitors must pass a security check and present identification. The nearby Grand Park, Los Angeles Times building and Little Tokyo make an easy surrounding walk.