Oakland City Hall

Oakland, United States

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

Wheelchair access: Accessible

From OpenStreetMap — confirm before travelling

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Oakland City Hall, completed in 1914, is the seat of government for Oakland, California, and stands as a landmark achievement in American civic architecture. Designed by the New York–based firm Palmer & Hornbostel after winning a nationwide competition in 1910, the building was constructed in the Beaux-Arts style and rises 320 feet—making it the first high-rise government building in the United States and, at the time of its completion, the tallest building west of the Mississippi River. The structure resembles a "rectangular wedding cake" composed of three tiers: a three-story base housing the mayor's office, city council chamber, and police station; a ten-story office tower; and a two-story podium topped by a clock tower. The exterior is clad in white granite and terra cotta, while the interior features white and black marble. Originally nicknamed "Mayor Mott's wedding cake" after Mayor Frank Kanning Mott, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Following severe damage from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the city chose to seismically retrofit rather than demolish it, installing rubber bearings and reinforcing steel and concrete to allow lateral movement of 18–20 inches during earthquakes.