Look at This! Pasadena City Hall
Some buildings are more than just buildings, they are expressions of artful grandeur, standing the test of time, just as spectacular now as when they were built.
Pasadena's City Hall, built in 1927 at a cost of $1.3 million, is one such building with a rectangular edifice outlining a courtyard with a cast-stone Baroque-style fountain.
The California Mediterranean style building was designed by John Bakewell & Arthur Brown who were influenced by the early Renaissance style of 16th century Italian architect Andrea Palladio. The firm had previously gained national attention for their design of San Francisco City Hall in 1915.
Different parts of the rectangular building run different heights, from single story to three stories.. The 235 rooms and passageways cover 170,000 square feet.
The building is made of reinforced concrete with a stucco-plaster finish, elaborate cast stone ornamentation, clay tile roof, and a Spanish Baroque domed tower, topped with a lantern.
A multi-year, $120 million seismic retrofit project earned it a Conservancy Preservation Award in 2008.
Several movies and television shows have been shot at the historic city hall building, most recently it doubled as Pawnee City Hall on Parks and Recreation, though, only tight shots of the structure were ever shown.
