The Mayors House
200 North Spring Street
Los Angeles, California 90012
This never before sold 32 story tower landmark estate
property was formerly known as the "Town Hall" and
designed by Austin, Parkinson, and Martin. Situated
in the middle of a historic neighborhood, this property
is located close to the Red Line, churches, freeways,
shopping, and restaurants, and across the street from
the future LAPD Headquarters. This masterpiece was designed
to resemble the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, one of the
seven wonders of the ancient world, and all details
inside and out are stunning. With an artful blend of
classical and Mediterranean traditions, the lower portion
is sheathed in California light gray granite, and the
upper portion and tower is covered with terra cotta.
The tower's concrete was made from sand taken from each
of California's 58 counties and water from each of its
21 missions. The interior has a Romanesque influence,
the color of the rotunda, passages, and vestibules consist
of marbles from around the world. The walls are faced
with French limestone and the ceiling is California
Redwood. Its numerous attractions include a City Council
Chamber with a basilica type of architecture containing
carved wooden pews, decorative arched aisles, monolithic
marble columns, and heavily beamed ceilings. All hardware
is cast solid bronze, including the original light fixtures.
The backyard is built out to the curb, but abundant
side yards are loaded with mature landscaping and fountains.
The tallest building in California until 1964, and
has probably starred in more movies and television series
than most Hollywood actors. A major renovation and seismic
retrofit project was completed in 2001 at a cost of
$273M (per owner). The building is now supported with
526 base isolators, which allows the building to move
independently of the ground and sustain an 8.1 quake,
and is the tallest building in the world to receive
such an upgrade. Each floor is separated by a flexible
compression zone allowing it to twist and shake and
still return to its original form. There is new central
air throughout, new copper plumbing, and the main switchboard
has a 1,250 horse power capacity, which is enough to
power a city of 20,000. The 27th floor has a tower observation
room.
Winner of the 2001 AIA Building Team of the year Award,
the 2001 American Public Works Association (APWA) Historic
Preservation Award, and the 2002 Cultural Heritage Commission
Award.