Take a vision for a vibrant city center initially conceived in the 1930s, later fleshed out by renowned architect Timothy Pfleuger in the 40s, update it to modern-day relevance with historical significance, and do it all ahead of schedule and under budget.
The Richmond Memorial Civic Center has been updated while retaining its historical significance. Photo by Y.K. Cheung Photography
BY JENNIFER SHAW CORRESPONDENT
Published: September, 2009
Project Manager Mark Kelly, the founding partner of Emeryville-based MACK5, knows there was an understandable dose of healthy skepticism out there, and is delighted that the city of Richmond now has a seat of governance of which the constituents can be immensely proud. “This is a modern facility with all the bells and whistles you’d want in a historical setting. The biggest challenge was looking at the confluence of competing elements, and all of that had to be deftly integrated into the whole of the building,” Kelly says.
In July, city employees and civic leaders moved back into a $100 million-plus facility; they vacated in 2002 and, after a financial delay, broke ground in December 2006. A celebration on September 12 marks the end of construction phase one of a red brick exterior complex that Steve Duran, the City of Richmond’s Executive Director of Community Redevelopment, says hopefully one day will include a new library and parking structure, a further renovated auditorium, and multi-use facilities—with the added goal of bringing the police department back to the city center.
With its acoustics that have been likened to Carnegie Hall, its newly upgraded restrooms to comply with ADA requirements and seismic retrofit, Duran says the auditorium only needs updated lighting and sound systems “to be really state of the art.” City administration occupies the new 71,060 sq. ft. city hall, which features its one-stop, 63-ft. long service counter for the public to secure any necessary permits or business licenses and consult with planners and city engineers. Council chambers are in the nearby 55,676 sq ft. space along with the balance of the municipal offices.
All throughout the design process, Mike Walden, principal architect and director of design for Nadel Architects, kept the 1930s vision outlined by the touted firm of Neutra and Schindler—and later Pflueger—as a guidepost for the minimalist, clean-lines design. “If those architects were alive today, how would they modernize their own work?” Walden asks. “What we’ve done is we’ve brought back all of these buildings and in a spirit way beyond that. They are truly 21st century buildings.”
Again, the task was no small order. “We designed around a style of working that doesn’t exist today,” Walden says, citing the incorporation of the latest data and telecommunications technology, security systems and modern lighting and air conditioning. Also inherent to the center’s integrity was a commitment by the design team to utilize local materials, such as the Vetrazzo recycled glass countertops, including the one-stop service counter.
The team behind the project succeeded in keeping to the original architectural vision. Duran describes the painstaking matching of brick and mortar, which translated into having “the outside of the buildings look 98 percent like the day they opened”—aside from one key element that the once-open breezeway is now fully enclosed in glass. “The only significant thing we preserved in the interior is the grand stairway,” he says, citing the impressive Terrazzo tile. “It’s just a main, beautiful architectural feature.”
With the assistance of an inside “green team,” Duran also notes that the project has met the silver medal criteria for green buildings — and quite possibly the gold, with its state of the art ventilation and lighting, drought resistant landscaping, use of sustainable and recycled materials, water conserving restrooms, minimal use of pesticides and storm water runoff. The marble deemed too porous was replaced with sandstone; the windows were modernized to be energy efficient.
Moreover, an essential aspect of creating a sense of aesthetic coherence throughout the project has been the amassing of an estimated $1 million dollars in public art that is both inspired by the original architects’ vision and reflective of Richmond’s culture, diversity and natural environs today. The collection features large-scale commissions from six area artists such as: the hand-forged stainless steel sconces on the exterior; the etched elevator doors; and the quilts by Marion Coleman depicting local activists, artists and examples of the city’s history and thriving industry.
“The sculpture—we wanted it to be a signature statement, a cultural and civic kind of presence, an axis,” says Winifred Day, project manager for Richmond Memorial Civic Center Public Art, noting the fountain reflects the original architect’s vision.
“Our newly renovated, energy efficient Civic Center reflects our healthy, green and sustainable direction for Richmond. In addition, through the incredible public art installations on display, it conveys the inspiring, ongoing story of what it means to live, work, and play in our richly diverse and ever-resilient city,” said Mayor Gayle McLaughlin.
Redevelopment Agency
Office of Economic Development
(510) 307-8150
The new City Council chambers located in the Civic Center. Photo by Y.K. Cheung Photography
Richmond’s City Hall’s new 63-foot long service counter features a Vetrazzo recycled glass countertop manufactured in Richmond.. Photo by Y.K. Cheung Photography
