Pasadena City Hall Retrofit Complete

May 31, 2007

Pasadena City Hall Retrofit Complete

PASADENA, Calif. – On April 30, the Pasadena City Council held its first meeting at the Pasadena City Hall Building since Clark Construction Group - California, LP completed a seismic upgrade and rehabilitation project. A Temporary Certificate of Occupancy was issued in late April, more than two months ahead of schedule. City employees started moving back into the building on April 27. It is scheduled to be fully occupied by the end of June.

The project’s main focus was the installation of a base isolation system that would protect the building during a seismic event. The work included structural upgrades, installation of 238 friction pendulum isolators, new shear walls, and a surrounding “moat” that provides space for the building to move during an earthquake.

The existing arcade structure was removed early in the project to provide construction access to the basement. It later was replaced with a new arcade that provides a permanent tie between the building’s two wings.

The project also included a complete rehabilitation of historic interior and exterior components of the 80-year-old building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Many elements were preserved, protected, or restored, including marble, light fixtures, quarry tile, wood doors and woodwork.

The project team replaced the interior walls, restored the plaster ceilings, and applied new finishes. They also installed new HVAC, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems. The historic elevator cab was refurbished, along with an existing elevator, and two new elevators were added to service the southeast portion of the building adjacent to the council chambers and the fourth floor.

On the exterior, the project team refurbished cast stone elements and plaster, as well as copper cladding on the dome and stair towers. The exterior work also included new site paving, landscaping, planters, decomposed granite walkways, and a refurbished fountain.

The City of Pasadena’s Public Works Department assembled a team that included DMJMH+N Management, of Orange, Calif., the construction manager, and Architectural Resources Group, of San Francisco, the project architect. Other team members included Historic Resources Group, LLC, of Los Angeles, historic preservation architect; GKC Engineering Corporation, of Arcadia, Calif., civil engineer; Forell/Elsesser Engineers, Inc., of San Francisco, structural engineer; Glumac International Consulting Engineers, of San Francisco, mechanical and plumbing engineer; F.W. Associates, of San Francisco, electrical engineer; and Melendrez Design Partners, of Los Angeles, landscape architect.