World's Six Largest Domes

San Francisco City Hall Dome Statistics

Height of Dome: 307' 6"—14" higher at the spire than the dome of the Capitol in Washington, D.C. (at the tip of the statue of Freedom). City Hall is the fifth largest dome in the world (see illustrations).
Diameter of Dome: 90'
Height of Rotunda: 183' 6" from grand marble staircase
Size of Building: Two city blocks, covering more area than the California State Capitol in Sacramento
Total Area: 516,484 sq. ft.

San Francisco City Hall, which opened in 1916, is one of the finest examples of Beaux Arts architecture in the world, and is considered by preservationists to be one of the most significant interior spaces in the U.S. The whole of San Francisco’s Civic Center is designated a National Historic Landmark District, of which City Hall is a Contributor Building. The Civic Center is one of 16 National Historic Landmarks in San Francisco, including the Cable Car system, the Old Mint and the Presidio.

The exterior of City Hall is of Raymond granite from the foothills of the Sierra. The interior is lavishly finished in California marble, Indiana sandstone and Manchurian oak. There are three acres of marble tile floors. Two large, open Light Courts with glass ceilings are situated on either side of the Rotunda. The original dome was covered in copper plated with lead and gilded with 23 1/2 karat gold leaf. It was not correctly finished and the deteriorated copper took on the familiar green patina. The restored finish, which follows the designer’s intent, is gold leaf on special paint that is a matched substitute for lead. It is protected to last more than a century.

San Francisco City Hall designer Arthur Brown, Jr., born in 1874, graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1896, where he and his future partner, John Bakewell, Jr., were protégés of famed Bay Area architect Bernard Maybeck. Brown graduated from L’Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris in 1901. City Hall was built in the spirit of “The City Beautiful” movement at the turn of the century. Brown’s design for City Hall was inspired by the gilded lead-plated dome and spire of the Baroque Church of St. Louis Des Invalides in Paris, now housing the tomb of Napoleon.

When they won the design contest for San Francisco City Hall, Bakewell and Brown had designed Berkeley City Hall and Pasadena City Hall. They went on to design the PG & E main office, the San Francisco Art Institute, Temple Emanu-el, the Santa Fe depot in San Diego, the Horticulture Building at the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition, and many buildings at Stanford University and at the University of California at Berkeley.

Throughout their partnership, Brown was the design partner of Bakewell and Brown. After dissolving the partnership in 1928, Brown designed San Francisco landmarks Coit Tower, the War Memorial Opera House, the Veterans Building, and the Federal Building. He also designed the Department of Labor and Interstate Commerce buildings in Washington, D.C. Arthur Brown, Jr., was a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor and one of three chief advisors on the remodel of the U.S. Capitol. When he died in 1957, President Herbert Hoover was an honorary pallbearer at his funeral.

Historical Timeline

1849 - 1850 Office of the Alcalde (mayor) of Yerba Buena, west side of Portsmouth Plaza, functions as City Hall.

February 1850 The triangle outlined by Market, Larkin, and McAllister Streets, halfway between the town of Yerba Buena and Mission San Francisco de Asís-Dolores, is set aside by the alcalde as Yerba Buena cemetery.

May 9, 1850 City Hall moves to corner of Kearny Street and Pacific Avenue.

1852 City Hall is located at the Jenny Lind Theater, Kearny near Washington Street.

1872 Old City Hall begins construction at Larkin Street near Grove. Burials are moved to Golden Gate Cemetery.

1899 Old City Hall is finished in a swirl of scandal after 27 years of construction and $6 million in costs.

April 18, 1906 Earthquake of magnitude 8.3 on the Richter scale subjects Old City Hall to peak ground acceleration of from .40 to .60 gravity forces. The building that took 27 years to build falls in 28 seconds of significant seismic motion—only the dome remains intact.

1909 Corruption-weary San Francisco voters turn down an $8 million bond issue to rebuild City Hall.

1911 Mayor James “Sunny Jim” Rolph is elected; promises to unite the diverse communities of the city and build a new City Hall and Civic Center Plaza.

1911 A new building at 1231 Market at Eighth Streets serves as temporary City Hall, used from 1912 to 1917.

March 1912 San Francisco voters approve an $8.8 million bond issue to build a new City Hall by a margin of 11-to-one. Architectural analysis proves that Old City Hall was well-built on a firm foundation, but couldn’t withstand the seismic forces of the ’06 quake. A competition for the new City Hall is announced, limited to architects registered to practice in California with offices in San Francisco.

June 20, 1912 The winning design for the new City Hall is announced, by Arthur Brown, Jr. of the firm Bakewell and Brown. Brown’s design references the dome of the Church of Les Invalides in Paris.

April 5, 1913 Ground broken for new City Hall by Mayor “Sunny Jim” Rolph wielding a solid silver spade.

October 25, 1913 Mayor Rolph lays cornerstone of City Hall.

December 28, 1915 City Hall is dedicated by Mayor Rolph. It is completed at a cost of $3,499,262, about $400 million in 1998 money. Land for the site costs the city $1,412,263.

October 9, 1916 First meeting held in City Hall chambers.

August 2, 1923 Following a trip to Alaska, President Warren G. Harding dies of pneumonia at the Palace Hotel on Market Street. The President’s body lies in state in the Rotunda of City Hall.

1934 James “Sunny Jim” Rolph dies while serving as governor of California—his body lies in state in the magnificent City Hall that he sponsored.

January 14, 1954 Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe are married in San Francisco City Hall. City Hall has traditionally hosted weddings for thousands of San Franciscans.

April 1978 San Francisco City Hall receives a special award from the American Institute of Architects as one of the finest examples of French Renaissance architecture in the country.

October 10, 1978 The San Francisco Civic Center is designated a National Historic Landmark District, with City Hall listed as a Contributor Building. It is one of only 100 such Landmarks in California.

November 27, 1978 Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk are assassinated in their chambers at City Hall by former Supervisor Dan White, who avoids security precautions by climbing in through a basement window.

October 17, 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake of magnitude 7.1 subjects City Hall to peak ground acceleration of up to .10 gravity forces. Significant earthquake motion lasts for about 8 seconds. The dome twists on its steel frame like a cap on a bottle, moving two inches. Cracks in the walls and concrete floor slabs occur at all levels. The 1913-era seismic resistance system is damaged; the dome cracks, large patches of plaster fall. City architects determine that the building will not collapse in another earthquake, but that future damage will not be repairable unless the building’s capacity to resist a major temblor’s lateral forces is repaired.

June 1990 San Francisco voters pass a $332.4 million general obligation bond for repair and seismic retrofitting of 191 city buildings damaged in the Loma Prieta earthquake, including City Hall.

November 1995 San Francisco voters approve a $63.5 million general obligation bond issue for funding for additional improvements to City Hall.

February 13, 1998 A 4-alarm fire starts 200 feet above ground after welders leave the wooden substructure of the dome smoldering. Damage is quickly repaired, and the entire dome is resurfaced.

January 5, 1999 San Francisco City Hall re-opens for civic and public use.