Fullerton City Hall
Also known as: Fullerton Police Department; Fullerton Jail; Wayne H. Bornhoft Facility
Why it's listed
Fullerton City Hall, at 237 West Commonwealth Avenue, was built between 1939 and 1942 as one of several Works Projects Administration projects in the city. The one-and-one-half-story poured concrete building has an L-shaped plan, a three-story clock tower at its central corner, and a sunken courtyard. Its Spanish Colonial Revival design is paired with art deco ceramic and terra cotta tile by Gladding, McBean and Company and with decorative wrought iron. Inside, the former council chamber, now called the Mural Room, holds a three-panel mural by Helen Lundeberg depicting Southern California history from 1542 to the 1930s. When it opened in 1942, it housed all of the city's offices for the first time. After a new city hall opened across the street in 1963, the police department and jail took over the building. A 1972-73 annex and a later expansion lie at the rear, but the original exterior remains largely as it looked in 1942. The city designated it a local landmark in 1980.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as an exceptionally fine example of Spanish Colonial Revival civic architecture with distinctive art deco tilework and wrought iron. It also houses a three-panel WPA mural, 'The History of Southern California,' by artist Helen Lundeberg. It was the city's first building to hold all municipal offices and departments.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 03000424, listed May 22, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 237 W. Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton |
|---|---|
| County | Orange County |
| Listed | May 22, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03000424 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Spanish Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Art |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used by the Fullerton Police Department and jail since 1963; the west wing Mural Room is available for community meetings. Described as structurally sound and in good condition, with a police annex expansion under construction. |
| Acreage | 2.7 |
| Coordinates | 33.87262, -117.93025 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 03000424.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q60748701
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.