San Diego Civic Center

Built between 1936 and 1938 on reclaimed bayfront tidelands, the San Diego Civic Center originally housed both city and county offices and now serves as the County Administration Center. The reinforced concrete building combines Spanish Revival and Streamline Moderne styling with Beaux-Arts touches, a Mission tile roof, inlaid Franciscan pottery tile, and a ten-story central tower. Inside are marble-covered lobbies, bronze detailing and Philippine mahogany stairs. Over 1,500 steel pilings and a five-section structure were used to resist earthquakes. Four San Diego architects designed it: Louis J. Gill, Samuel W. Hamill, William T. Johnson and Richard S. Requa. Funding came largely from the Works Progress Administration. The site includes Donal Hord's granite Guardian of Water sculpture and fountain, placed in 1939, and Roland Hoyt's landscaping. The location reflects John Nolen's 1926 city plan, which envisioned a paseo linking civic buildings to Balboa Park, though that was never realized. Stories were added to the wings in 1968.