{"nrhp_refnum":"83001170","name":"Oakland City Hall","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1421 Washington St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Oakland","county":"Alameda County","state":"CA","lat":37.80533707700005,"lon":-122.27236480599998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-09-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Oakland City Hall is a municipal building occupying a full city block at 1421 Washington Street in downtown Oakland, California, designed by the New York firm Palmer and Hornbostel and built 1911-1914.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it was the first City Hall in the United States to combine the ceremonial side of government with a modern high-rise office tower. It is also praised as an excellent example of American Beaux-Arts design, notably for its terra cotta ornament and ceremonial interiors. Its cornerstone ceremony featured President William Howard Taft, and it was once the tallest building in Oakland.","narrative":"Oakland City Hall fills an entire block on Washington Street in downtown Oakland. Built between 1911 and 1914 to designs by the New York firm Palmer and Hornbostel, it follows the American Beaux-Arts style and rises in three parts: a three-story granite base, a ten-story office tower, and a clock tower reaching about 343 feet above the sidewalk. Terra cotta details show California fruits and wheat alongside classical motifs. Inside, a vaulted vestibule, marble stair, rotunda and Council Chamber form the ceremonial sequence. The nomination presents it as the first American City Hall to pair ceremonial spaces with a modern high-rise office tower. It was the fifth city hall in Oakland's history and was chosen through an architectural competition whose entrants included Cass Gilbert. President William Howard Taft spoke at the 1911 cornerstone ceremony. Later interior changes have not undermined the building's overall integrity.","period_of_significance":"1911-1914","architect_builder":"Palmer and Hornbostel","architectural_style":"American Beaux-Arts","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied, government use, in good condition; altered, with many interior modifications but retaining basic integrity.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:28.092298-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/83001170.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83001170/e7bae10be9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83001170/e7bae10be9-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Sanfranman59","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oakland_City_Hall_(Oakland,_CA)_2.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Sanfranman59</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oakland_City_Hall_(Oakland,_CA)_2.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"98000813","name":"Downtown Oakland Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/california/downtown-oakland-historic-district-98000813/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858292","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakland_City_Hall","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q932794"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/alameda-county/oakland-city-hall-83001170/"}