City Hall

Stats

City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B, Goodlett Place, San Francisco, California, United States of America

Featured in A View To A Kill (1985)

Profile

While Bond investigates Max Zorin, he pays W. G. Howe a visit at City Hall. After his meeting, he spots Stacey Sutton, the woman he met previously at Zorin's estate. Later in the film City Hall plays a key role when Bond and Stacey discover the location of Zorin's plans. Before they can leave, they are captured by Zorin and May Day. Zorin kills Howe, traps Bond and Stacey in a lift and sets the building alight. Luckily Bond manages to escape with Stacey, stealing a fire truck in process to avoid Bond being arrested by the police.

About

Perhaps once of the finest examples of Beaux Arts architecture in the world, the City Hall has the fifth largest dome in the world. Covering over two city blocks with over 500,000 square feet, the building is certainly an impressive sight.

City Hall has had a difficult history however. Initially built in 1874, it was destroyed after an earthquake in 1906. It reopened in 1916 and stood until 1995 until it was forced to close after damage caused by another earthquake in 1989. Eventually City Hall reopened once more in 1999, this time at a cost of nearly $300 million.

Trivia

The dramatic scenes where the whole of City Hall appears to be burning, were actually large gas tanks placed in front of all the windows and the roof to give that illusion.

The nearest Bart and Muni station is the Civic Center station.