San Jose City Hall, San Jose

San Jose City Hall is the seat of municipal government in San Jose and stands as a striking symbol of the city’s growth and modernization. Located in Downtown San Jose, the complex was designed by internationally acclaimed architect Richard Meier—winner of the prestigious Pritzker Prize—and completed in 2005. Meier’s Postmodern design, developed in collaboration with local firm Steinberg Architects, offers a bold architectural contrast to the traditional Beaux-Arts city halls of neighboring cities like San Francisco and Oakland.

The City Hall complex is arranged within a spacious, two-block-long public space known as San José Civic Plaza. Its three primary structures include an 18-story tower, a glass rotunda, and the City Council chamber wing, collectively encompassing 530,000 square feet across 32 acres. The tower, reaching 285 feet (87 meters), is the fourth tallest building in San Jose and houses various city offices. Engineered to withstand seismic activity from nearby faults—including the San Andreas and Calaveras—it uses concrete shear walls and a steel moment-resisting frame for stability.

At the center of the plaza rises the iconic rotunda, a 110-foot-tall structure reminiscent of a planetarium. Nearby, the three-story west wing accommodates the San Jose City Council chamber, public meeting rooms, and even a field office of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

San Jose City Hall also integrates public art into its design. The plaza features “Waterscape,” a sculptural water installation by artists Anna Valentina Murch and Douglas Hollis, with granite fountains, boulders, and mist-spraying vanes that evoke coastal fog. Surrounding sidewalks are home to “Parade of Floats,” a series of 16 culturally-themed sculptures by Andrew Leicester that reflect San Jose’s diverse history.

This is the sixth site to serve as San Jose’s government headquarters since the city’s incorporation in 1850. Its return to the downtown core after decades in a northern civic center marks a symbolic reconnection with the city’s historic heart—an emblem of San Jose’s transformation from a quiet agricultural community into a global technology hub.