In the 1910s and 1920s, before this building was constructed, city administration services took place at the Beverly Hills Hotel. However, in 1925, a two-storey building was erected on Burton Way to serve as a city hall and fire department building. Yet five years later, a petition signed by 2,000 residents which was presented to the Beverly Hills City Council called for a new building in a new location.
Amidst the quiet residential neighborhoods of Beverly Hills, rises the Beverly Hills
City Hall.
Designed in 1932 by architect William Gage, the elegant building, with its terrazzo floors,
marble walls, and intricate ceilings, is beloved by residents of this exclusive enclave.
Beverly Hills City Hall is a fanciful Spanish Renaissance building, known for its pale blue
exterior paint accents, its blue-green and gold-tiled dome, gilded cupola, and architectural
elements representing government and commerce.
This well-known Beverly Hills icon faced demolition not too long ago, when it was found structurally
unsafe for earthquakes, and not big enough for modern purposes.
Thanks to a $110 million renovation and design work by architect Charles Moore, a 10-year
effort to save this landmark came to fruition when the Beverly Hills City Hall reopened
in 1992.
The historic City Hall is surrounded by lush palm gardens, and includes a series of elliptical
courtyards connecting the city's buildings across Rexford Drive.
Los Angeles is known as a car city, but at about 15 square kilometers, Beverly Hills
is truly a walking city within greater Los Angeles.
Whether it's a self-guided tour along Rodeo Drive, a former bridle path, or a jog around
town, or just a tour of the city's houses, grand and modest, walking around is the best
way to get to know the sights and sounds of Beverly Hills.
Southern California is renowned for its many celebrity estates, and driving through Beverly
Hills looking for the stars' homes has become a time-honored tradition and a favorite pastime
of tourists.
Don't think you'll be able to peek in the windows, however.
These magnificent abodes are heavily guarded, and tall gates will keep you from getting
too close.
Americans love their gardens almost as much as they love their houses, and the residents
of Beverly Hills are no exception.
Clipped hedges, slender palms, and flowering plants surround every house as a reflection
of their owners' importance.
Though the climate of Southern California is sunny and dry, most of its houses are surrounded
by immense expanses of grass lawns, which require large amounts of precious water to
stay so green.
Lots of water is needed to fill the ubiquitous private swimming pools as well, which just
as much as a shiny new car and vast house is de rigueur in Beverly Hills.
It is no surprise that the city's huge thirst for water has played an important role in
its history since the earliest days.
