![]() ![]() The City of San José's predecessor, el Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe, was headquartered at a juzgado, a single-story adobe structure built in 1785 near the Río de Guadalupe. Early seats of government The Alcantara Building that was built on the site of the 1797 juzgado The current city hall is San Jose's sixth government headquarters building, reflecting San Jose's rise from a small farming town to one of the largest cities in the country. They are connected to a steel moment-resisting frame across the west and east sides. The building is stabilized by full-height, concrete shear walls on the north and south sides of the building, which are likened to bookends. The brise soleil on the tower's western façadeĬity Hall's tall, thin tower is designed to withstand significant shaking from nearby faults, which include the Silver Creek, Calaveras, Hayward, and San Andreas faults. Like the rotunda, the grand staircase is no longer a public entrance instead, the public enters from beneath the staircase, and an elevator provides access to the council chambers. A grand staircase leads to the chambers and an elevated walkway that connects the west wing with the rotunda and tower. Unlike the previous city hall's council chamber, which featured a raised dais, the current chamber is shaped like a lecture hall, with audience seating rising above the dais. The 7,000-square-foot (650 m 2) council chamber seats 330. The three-story west wing or council wing contains the San Jose City Council chamber, public meeting rooms, and the western field office of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.However, by 2015, the 9,427 square feet (875.8 m 2) space had become a ceremonial entrance, usually closed off to the public but rented out for city and private events about 150 times a year. It was originally conceived as a public entrance to symbolize open government. Mayor Ron Gonzales and other city officials insisted on a rotunda to evoke classical civic buildings. The entire exterior is a glass curtain wall, supported by tension cables and structural steel beams. It has a diameter of 100 feet (30 m), slightly wider than the United States Capitol rotunda. The freestanding rotunda rises 110 feet (34 m) above the center of the plaza, resembling a planetarium.The mayor's office is located on the top floor of the tower. ![]() The tower has a thin footprint of 68 by 255 feet (21 m × 78 m). ![]() At 285 feet (87 m), it was the tallest building in San Jose until Tower 88 surpassed it by 1 foot (0.30 m) in 2008.
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