San Jose City Hall

San José City Hall.

The current City Hall of San José California was opened to the public on October 15, 2005, and is located at 200 East Santa Clara Street, San José, California. It was designed by Richard Meier.

History

The present City Hall complex replaces the earlier City Hall and 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 382 million dollar city hall 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 tall tower totaling 550,000 square feet (46,000 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.^[1] 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. ^[1]

See also

• Downtown San Jose
• List of tallest buildings in San Jose

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "City Hall Falcons". City of San Jose. http://www.sanjoseca.gov/Falcons/. Retrieved December 12, 2009. 

External links

• New San José City Hall page
• San José Convention and Visitors Bureau photo gallery
• Richard Meier page