Civic Beauty : Burbank’s Ornate, 1940s-Era City Hall Joins U.S. Historic Register

Burbank City Hall, whose extensive artworks and decorative flourishes have made it more than a hub of civic life, has been named to the National Register of Historic Places.

The 53-year-old building, which features polished marble, painted murals and intricate metal work, is set to be formally recognized Tuesday evening before the regular City Council meeting, when a plaque marking its historical importance will be unveiled on the front steps.

“In the San Fernando Valley there are less than a dozen properties on the national register,” said Theodore X. Garcia, who chaired the Burbank Heritage Commission when the application for historic status was submitted more than a year ago.

Garcia said many of the local historic sites are different from Burbank City Hall because they reflect the area’s Spanish heritage and generally are older.

“City Hall was built at a time when the population was growing,” he said. “It has an exceptional number of artworks. It’s one more example for the promotion of civic pride in your community.”

“It’s just really exciting that this is being designated a historical site,” said Jeri Browne, the city’s records management coordinator and keeper of old photographs of City Hall. “I think it’s a beautiful building.”

The cream-colored concrete structure at 275 E. Olive Ave. was built in 1943 in the Moderne style. It features a four-story central tower and east and west wings that frame the front courtyard with its tropical foliage.

Outside, water cascades over fish figures in a fountain of black and turquoise tile. The building’s main tower is decorated with recessed floral designs, topped by a large, granite eagle.

The building has the original brass and glass doors, which lead to a lobby decorated with marble, wainscoting, bronze railings and more.

At the top of the stairs to the second floor, a large mural by well-known Los Angeles artist Hugo Ballin--actually half was removed in 1961 and remains in storage--depicts the influence on Burbank of the aircraft and motion-picture industries as well as agriculture.

Another Ballin mural, “Four Freedoms,” is familiar to anyone who has attended City Council meetings or watched them on the cable access channel. The artwork, positioned behind council members, depicts historical scenes of American life.

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The building has undergone some changes over the years. As the city has grown from about 35,000 residents in the early 1940s to about 100,000 today, there have been alterations to accommodate civic duties.

A walkway connects City Hall to the Municipal Services Building, which was built in 1961. Making room for construction of the walkway resulted in the lobby mural being cut in half. An elevator was installed to provide disabled access to City Council meetings, and the decorated, wooden pews that once filled council chambers were replaced with more comfortable blue-cushioned seats.

Still, much of the building remains in its original condition. In fact, city officials said their goal is to restore certain features of the building, including the murals, to their original state at an estimated cost of more than $200,000.

Greg Herrmann, a city planner who submitted an application for the historic designation, which required that the building be at least 50 years old, said its history is as impressive as the architecture and artwork.

Originally, the building housed all city services, including the police and fire departments, an emergency medical ward, a courthouse and a jail.

Indeed, the old jail cells and their bars are still visible in the basement, although they are filled with boxes of city records rather than crooks.

“Right now this is what we call our records center,” Herrmann said. “All the bars are still here; it’s pretty much how it was.”

The city was notified during the summer that the U.S. Department of Interior had designated the building for the national register.

Garcia said City Hall now joins a Burbank post office building already designated as a historic site. The city’s Heritage Commission is trying to locate more historical buildings, he said.

Cynthia Howse, a historian with the California Office of Historic Preservation, said that other buildings in the state, including city halls, have been listed and that each one is significant for its architectural or historical influence.

“It’s a big deal in the sense that anything listed on the national register meets certain standards,” Howse said. “That is a big deal.”