Art

Pasadena is in the north east of Los Angeles and is a city in California. In 1923 the people of Pasadena decided to pass a bond issue of 3.5 dollars so as to establish a civic center. Plans to build it started. The City Hall was designed by Arthur Brown and John Bake well. It is located at 100 North Garfield Avenue. Its construction was completed on 27th, December 1927.It is rectangular and it measures 242 feet West and East and 351 feet South and North (Cecilia 6).

The East side is one storey while the other sides are tree stories high. It also has small towers and a main dome on the west entrance. This circular structure has six stories where the fifth story is 41 feet high. It is pierced with four large round arches and four other small ones.  The next story is set back a little and is 30 feet and is also pierced with arches. Above this story, there rises the dome which is 26 feet high and 54 feet across. On top of the dome there is a lantern which is a cupola which is column supported and is 41 feet high. This cupola is surmounted by a ball and urn. 206 feet above the ground is the height of the highest point. The stair ways have a trend of Alaskan marble which have balustrades of wrought iron. The wall ornaments and the fountain are made of cast stone while the dome has a fish-scale covering and the roof is made of red Cardova clay tile. The lanterns of the big dome and the stair towers a copper sheath. Padre tiles are used for the corridors and the main lobby floor. Wood work on the interior side is vertically grained with white oak. This hall was built at a cost of 1.3 million dollars (Cecilia 7).

Pasadena City Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic places on 28th July, 1980.As I can quote from the National register of historic places Inventory-Nomination form The district, a civic Center designed by Bennett, Frost and Parsons, is a nationally significant example of civic art in the City Beautiful style of the 1920s. The main features of the plan were all executed and the main buildings especially the City Hall was built by recognized architects in a homogeneous style.

It has been chosen by many film makers as a favorite location for shooting. For example it was used in 1995 in A walk in the clouds a movie that was used to show a Napa Valley town square. It was also used in Mission Impossible and The Great Dictator It currently serves as the city hall for   fictional Pawnee in the show Parks and Recreation. This is a television show.

Some of the major and famous buildings related to Pasadena city hall include The hotel des Invalides in Paris, The Santa Maria Della Salute church in Venice and St. Pauls cathedral in London. They are some of the European domed structures.

Bakewell and Brown graced the walls with some amounts of ornamentation which included garlands and lion heads. This was a symbol of abundance and strength. The scrolls had an official crown and key. The Dome was made solidly and commanding yet graceful and looks airy. The two designers thought of a sun warmed buff against the blue skies and greenery and showing red tiles and shady walks. They also thought of a garden with a splashing fountain. There was also a plan for rooms that would be used by a busy administration of the city in the years that followed (Cecilia 8).

From outside, the city hall always looked as if it could withstand the test of time but in the late 20th Century, the hall had started showing signs of age. Studies in the 1990s showed that if major earthquakes occurred, the Pasadena City Hall would be destroyed and this could lead to loss of life and also the destruction of some parts of the building.

This is because it didnt meet the modern building codes. This was the major reason for the seismic retrofit. The exterior of the building remained as it was since 1927. Portions of the interior though had been modified over the years. Some of the offices and the primary public spaces still had their historic character. In the 1980s, one cupola and the two stair towers had been restored. After the 1991 Sierra Madre earthquake, the finial on top of the large dome was repaired.

By this time deep cracks could be seen on the walls and damage by water could be seen. Up to this time no repair had be done on the building but in the late 1990s the Architectural Resources Group began to rehabilitate it.

In 2004 July, people were told to vacate the building so as to allow for its rehabilitation. This process would take 3 years. The faade was restored and all the council members and offices were renovated. They made sure that the building met ADA standards and its Heating, Ventilating and Air conditioning systems (HVAC) were modernized and changed. Architectural lighting was installed and new landscaping was done around the hall. The building was also lifted above its foundation and structural base isolators were put and a new foundation was finally put in place. This was done to so that the City Hall could withstand any future earthquakes. The renovation made the Pasadena city hall to look very beautiful and since it had met all the modern requirements, it earned
LEED Gold Certificate. People started to move in the building after the renovations in 2007, April and in July all was back to normal (Cecilia 9).

Though the renovation costed a lot of money, the city officials said they couldnt risk losing their land mark in any of the earthquakes in the following years. Just like any other object or environment can undergo change the Pasadena City Hall underwent such renovations so that the appearance could change to a more appealing one. As we are told the Pasadena City Hall was   is literally an important symbol of the Pasadena City which citizens talk of a lot of pride and warm interest. They highly value it and considering the renovations that were done, it has it became more beautiful and a site location for shooting films.

The ornamentation done inside the building, the beautiful landscape that was created, the designs inside the building i.e. that of a lion and ensuring that the building met ADA standards and ensuring that HVAC systems were installed led to victory in that the building earned a LEED Gold certificate. As they created a landscape they ensured it was sprinkled with water to ensure a green appearance. All these were tailored to achieving success and maintaining the landmark of the city.