Pasadena City Hall

Location: Pasadena, CA | Client: City of Pasadena

Client Type:
Civic + Government

Pasadena City Hall - Architectural Rehabilitation - ARG

Pasadena City Hall, a nationally significant example of civic art in the 'City Beautiful' style of the 1920s, is the “go to” location for film and television… everyone’s idea of what a city hall should look like. Under ARG’s guidance, the building underwent a massive rehabilitation project, including a sophisticated base isolation seismic retrofit. City Hall will now continue to be the centerpiece of Pasadena’s Civic Center, one of the most complete manifestations of City Beautiful architecture and urban planning in the United States.

BEHIND THE SCENES

ARG and Pasadena City Hall have a relationship that has lasted more than 25 years.

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An earlier ARG award winning design, incorporating symmetrically placed universal access ramps at the east elevation of the building, was retained during the later base isolation project.

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The entire building now ‘floats’ in a ‘moat’ on a series of 240 2.5-ton isolators that will allow it to move, as one, up to 30 inches in any direction during an earthquake.

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City Hall is an internationally recognized star of stage and screen, appearing in Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator” in 1940, and many, many films, television shows, and wedding albums since.

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For a full list of awards and honors received by Pasadena City Hall, please click here.