Oakland City Hall, Municipal government building in downtown Oakland, United States.
Oakland City Hall is a Beaux-Arts government building completed in 1914, designed by the New York firm Palmer & Hornbostel after a nationwide competition. It rises in three tiers: a three-story base holding the mayor's office, council chamber and hearing rooms, a ten-story office tower, and a two-story podium topped by a clock tower. White granite and terra cotta clad the exterior; white and black marble line the interior.
The building was completed in 1914 and stood as the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River at that time. Its construction marked a significant achievement in western American architecture and government development.
The building is nicknamed "Mayor Mott's wedding cake" after Frank Kanning Mott, the former mayor who helped secure the bond funding and married the same year construction began. The city seal of Oakland depicts the City Hall.
The building is located at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in downtown Oakland and is open to visitors during regular hours. Check ahead for any building access restrictions or guided tour availability.
The rubber bearings under Oakland City Hall were installed only after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, not at construction: steel columns in the foundation were cut and replaced, steel beams and concrete walls added, in an $85 million retrofit. The building can now move 18–20 inches laterally.
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