Old City Hall, Berkeley

Old City Hall is located in the heart of Berkeley, just three blocks west of the University of California Berkeley campus. The building of this site commenced on June 27, 1908 to replace the previous city hall building that was destroyed by a fire in 1904. The Old City Hall was designed by John Bakewell and Arthur M. Brown, both architects and alums from the local university.

The architects used a French Renaissance style for the building. It was modeled after the Hotel de Ville in Tours, France. This included the ornate tower, which was initially rejected by city planners who felt it was too expensive and unnecessary before eventually agreeing to the design.

The Old City Hall remained in use as an administrative building through 1977. At that time it was re-organized into the administrative building for the Berkeley Unified School District. However, the building now sits vacant and in need of a significant interior overhaul before it can be used again. It has sometimes been used as an emergency homeless shelter, but it is thought to be unstable for long-term use.

Visitors to Berkeley should plan to walk by the Old City Hall to enjoy the beauty of the building and its grounds. It is located directly adjacent to Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park and Civic Center Building. It is also a very close walk from Shattuck Avenue.