San Jose City Hall
| City Hall of San Jose | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Former names | San Jose Civic Center |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Government offices |
| Architectural style | Postmodern |
| Location | 200 East Santa Clara Street San Jose, California |
| Coordinates | 37°20′16″N 121°53′10″W / 37.33778°N 121.8861°W |
| Completed | 2002 – 2005 |
| Cost | US$343 million |
| Height | |
| Roof | 86.9 m (285 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 18 2 below ground |
| Floor area | 49,240 m2 (530,000 sq ft) |
| Lifts/elevators | 8 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Richard Meier & Partners Architect Steinberg Architects |
| Engineer | Englekirk Partners |
| Main contractor | Devcon Construction Turner Construction |
| References | |
| [1][2][3] | |
City Hall of San Jose at 200 East Santa Clara Street is the center of the government of the city of San Jose, California. The building was designed by Richard Meier, and opened to the public on 15 October 2005, replacing the former City Hall complex civic center located on North First Street, which was used from 1958 until 2005. From 1889 to 1958 the city hall was located in what is now Plaza de Cesar Chavez in downtown San José.
Architecture
The architect was Richard Meier, designer of the Getty Center in Los Angeles, the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, Barcelona, Spain and numerous other buildings around the world. The architectural style is most influenced by that of Le Corbusier. The US382 million facility has been somewhat controversial,[citation needed] however the building was designed to be environmentally friendly, making use of natural light, and providing shading with a "bris soleil" on the tower.
The complex is large, with the 18 story tower totaling 550,000 sq ft (51,000 m2) . The mayor's office is located in the top floor of the tower, with the rotunda serving as an entrance and council chambers located in the third building.
The city hall tower is home to a peregrine falcon named Clara, and her current tiercel, named "Esteban Colbert" after Stephen Colbert, of whom San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed is said to be a fan.[4] The original falcons, named Jose and Clara after the city and Santa Clara County produced three offspring, named Spirit, Hiko, and Esperanza. In 2008, Clara and her then-mate Carlos had three chicks, Cielo and Meyye, both girls, and Mercury, a boy.[4]
See also
References
- ^ San Jose City Hall at Emporis
- ^ "San Jose City Hall". SkyscraperPage.
- ^ San Jose City Hall at Structurae
- ^ a b "City Hall Falcons". City of San Jose. Retrieved December 12, 2009.
External links
- New San José City Hall page
- San José Convention and Visitors Bureau photo gallery
- Richard Meier page
- San Jose City Hall Photo 1958-2005[1]
- San Jose City Hall Photo 1889-1958[2]
![[2]](http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e215/artemismaximus/san-jose-old-city-hall.jpg/){kind=link}