South San Francisco, CA November 10, 2020 Press Release
City Reflects on Historic Building
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Nov. 9, 2020 – The City of South San Francisco is celebrating its iconic City Hall’s 100th Anniversary. Construction of City Hall at 400 Grand Avenue was completed in 1920 for $125,000, with Grand Opening celebrations occurring in the pouring rain on November 11, 1920. Werner and Coffee Architects of San Francisco was chosen to build a neo-colonial-Georgian structure modeled after Philadelphia’s Independence Hall. The original location of City Hall was on 310 Linden for 12 years before moving to 400 Grand.
“As a resident of South San Francisco as well as the Mayor, I feel we are all so blessed to have such a beautiful City Hall that resembles how great our City truly is, and we should be proud of this architectural gem” says Mayor Richard Garbarino.
South San Francisco City Hall has been the subject of many magazine articles, appeared on the covers of local telephone books, used as background for several movies and the topic of endless newspaper features since it was dedicated in 1920. While much of the interior of the City Hall has been altered over the years to meet the evolving needs of the community, very little of the exterior has been changed.
“I applaud the vision and dedication of past and current City leaders in creating and maintaining a City Hall relevant to the needs of the community while retaining its historic beauty, and hope future generations can enjoy this beautiful building for another 100 years of history-making,” says Mayor Richard Garbarino.
In 1932, President Herbert Hoover was on a motorcade down Grand Avenue passing City Hall, and so was Robert Kennedy in 1968 when he was campaigning for the presidency.
The City of South San Francisco was incorporated on September 19, 1908. The land for City Hall was purchased from the South San Francisco Land & Improvement Company for
$10,000. City Hall has housed most city departments, including the police and fire departments, and the municipal and superior courts.
About the City of South San Francisco
The City of South San Francisco proudly remains The Industrial City, a reflection of its steel mill and ship building past, redefined to reflect the innovative, entrepreneurial and industrious spirit which has made South San Francisco the Biotech Capital of the World, with 217 active biotech companies and growing. A vibrant community of 67,585 residents, South San Francisco enjoys a high quality of life with an extensive public parks system, active library and learning programming and a dynamic, engaged community making South San Francisco a great place to live, learn, work and play.
For more information about the City of South San Francisco, visit www.ssf.net.