San Diego County Administration Building

A modified Spanish Colonial style with ornamentation of gold and silver azure tiles was chosen as the final design of the Civic Center. Head architect Samuel Hamill claimed that the initial inspiration for the blueprints came from the Nebraska State Capitol. The four Civic Center architects gave the Civic Center its' Spanish Colonial foundation but several details are Southwestern in style. Southwestern details include: a red Mission tile roof, glazed Franciscan inlaid pottery tile, and arched door and window openings.
The exterior of the of the building is a vast display of intricacy, as well as a visible tribute to San Diego government. Four large governmental emblems on the steps of the Civic Center incorporate shields with various detailed designs. The ten-foot tower rising above the entrance is faced with decorative tile, as are the arches above the doors. The central panel over the main entrance was intended to represent the history of San Diego, beginning with the date of discovery and working upward to a fish, a naval vessel, the California tower, and an airplane bearing the date of construction. Central to all designs is the shield of the federal government and the inscriptions that grace the entrances; the west side exhibits a quote by Virgil. "The Noblest Motive is the Public Good", and the east side reads "Good Government Demands the Intelligent Interest of every Citizen".

The Construction

The ground breaking ceremony was commenced at the site on the morning of December 5, 1935. George W. Marston was chosen to turn the first earth with a golden shovel. About 200 people, including city, county, state, and federal officials observed the ceremonies at the waterfront site. For many of these people, this ceremony symbolized the efforts that had been expended for decades. After the ground breaking, the land was left for nearly a month, until January 4, 1936, when actual construction began.
The demand for safety overrode economic concerns in virtually every aspect of construction. It was decided that steel pilings, rather that wood pilings, would be used to prevent shearing in the event of an earthquake. Due to its' concern for safety, the Civic Center received substantial recognition for its' construction. It was considered to be on the cutting edge of engineering development. The Civic Center project was virtually making engineering history for using steel piling to bear lateral stresses for the first time in the history of construction. The foundation and frame were built with reinforced concrete; the building itself was constructed in five separate sections. The gaps between the various sections were closed with metal accordion and slip joints so that each section could move independently in the event of an earthquake.
Construction was complete when the last phase of the project was finished ninety days ahead of schedule by contractor Charles Hoskins. The total cost of the new San Diego City and County Administration Building was $1,730,474, and over 300 men were given employment as a result of the WPA Civic Center project.

The Vision
In 1913 a civic center plan based on the one presented by John Nolan was put before the city council. This plan was different in that, it shifted the site to the east in order to reduce cost. Regardless of the reduced cost, city officials refused of give any plan consideration until the economic situation in San Diego became more secure. No definite action took place before the outbreak of World War I; the war diverted the public's attention until 1923, when John Nolan began to work on his second city plan. The plan was submitted to the City Planning Commission in 1926. This plan recommended the waterfront location and in 1927 the site was approved through a county wide election. There were many objections regarding the waterfront location and other proposed locations were put forth for consideration. Other sites included the Courthouse site at Broadway and "C" street and the Balboa Park site at Date Street and Sixth Avenue. The waterfront site won final approval by the Board of Supervisors as well as the citizens in December of 1933.

The Funding
The first payment in the resurrection of the civic center was for the waterfront property. In 1933, the city and the county made the purchase for one thousand dollars. In June of that same year, the City Attorney informed the city and county that there were not enough funds available to erect the building. It was advised that an application be made to the Federal Emergency Public Works Fund. In 1934, the city and county appropriated funds to be used to pay for architectural plans. At this point, three architects were chosen to work on the plans: Sam Hamill, Richard Requa and William Johnson. These men presented the first model of the civic center to the Board of Supervisors in January 1935. That same month, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Public Works informed the city and county that federal funds were depleted and encouraged San Diego to continue applying for assistance in the event that more funding would become available. In April, the county council resolved to construct the Civic Center at a total cost of one million dollars and proceeded to apply for federal aid through the Public Works Administration. President Roosevelt approved the grant in September, one week after a personal tour of the site. The federal contribution, consisting of $989,528, was in the bank of San Francisco by December.

The Dedication

On July 16, 1938, Roosevelt traveled by train to Los Angeles and then boarded an automobile at the head of a twenty-five car caravan bound for San Diego. President Roosevelt arrived at the dedication site around three in the afternoon before a crowd estimated at 25,000. He gave a short speech in which he remarked about the engraved quote above the building's west entrance, "I would like to say that I like especially the sentiment expressed on the face of [the portal], ‘The noblest motive is the public good.' I think if we all carry that motto in our hearts, in every city and community in the land, there is no question but the proper thing, American democracy, will survive."
The dedication ceremony took place five months prior to completion of the building, which was celebrated by opening ceremonies on December 23, 1938.

The City Relocation

During the 1950s, a growing awareness regarding the need for more offices space led to big changes for the Civic Center. A report prepared by the Joint Committee on City-County Office Space declared that the Civic Center was too small. It recommended that the City move to another location. The County Chief agreed with the recommendation, adding that the city's needs were more immediate than the county's needs. In 1963 the City and County entered into an agreement to transfer the city's portion of the property to the county.

To complete the transaction, a legislative grant was written in 1961, and all documents were prepared, reviewed and approved by the staffs of the city and the county. The original appraisal of seven million dollars was lowered to an actual price of $3.3 million. The signing of the agreement took place on July 17, 1963. After the City offices moved out of the Civic Center, the structure was officially renamed "San Diego County Administration Center" and a new sign was mounted over the old inscribed letters above the east entrance.

The Expansion
Several changes were made to the building from the time it first became occupied. In 1958 the Health Center was constructed on the northwest corner of the site in an attempt to incorporate elements of the Civic Center's architecture. Also, during that year, an addition was made to the north wing to hold the Board of Supervisor's offices.
The Civic Center was constructed so that the wings could support the weight of an additional floor, if the need for such space arose. In 1960 a third floor expansion was made to the south wing in order to accommodate the mayor's offices as he moved down from eighth floor of the tower. In 1978 the top floors were declared a fire hazard because there was only one stairwell, the tower occupants were forced to move down to the main part of the building.
After the city's departure from the building, expansion slowed down. However, in 1974, the largest expansion ever to take place on the building since its construction was proposed; a 21,000 square foot addition. There were third and fourth floor additions and remodeling; southeast and southwest wings were added to the third floor, to match the architecture on the north side; and a cafeteria was constructed on the south end of the fourth floor; office interiors were modernized, lighting was updated and ventilation was improved. These changes were complete in 1982.
After expansions had been made to the fullest extent that the building could support, County Administration continued to relocate to other parts of the county.

The Historical Designation
During the 1980's an idea was conceived to open up CAC bland for commercial leasing. The County Board of Supervisors decided to look into the possibilities of allowing hotels to be built upon the nine acres of parking lots that surround the County Administration Center. Spurred by this proposal as well as others such as, tearing down the CAC to build a bigger and more utilitarian edifice, a group of 400 locals came together. This group was known as Citizens Coordinate for Century 3, dedicated themselves to the preservation of the County Administration Center. The goal was to obtain National Historical Site status for the complex. Citizens Coordinate for Century 3 researched the history of the building and produced a nomination form to be sent to the National Register of Historic Places. While awaiting the federal response, the City Historic Site Board approved the CAC as a historic site on October 22, 1986. Finally, on May 16, 1988, the site received recognition on the national register. On July 11,1988, the Board of Supervisors and Citizens Coordinate for Century 3 celebrated the 50th anniversary of the original dedication of the building by president Roosevelt as well as a celebration of the site's placement on the National Register of Historic Places. As part of the ceremony, President Roosevelt's eldest son, James Roosevelt came and spoke, just as his father did, on the steps of the CAC.