downtown buildings

Downtown buildings showing the multiple architectural styles you'll find there.  The flag flying Tribune Building is to the right.  The large lawn is part of the City Hall plaza.

City Hall

City Hall reflected in three windows.  Linked to Weekend Reflections.

City Hall

A shot of City Hall.

Caravan of All Stars

The Bay Area Blues Society performs in front of city hall every week.  To raise operating funds they sell this t-shirt.  I got mine!

city hall amphitheater

A small amphitheater was placed in front of City Hall, which has helped it become a focal point for political gatherings.  The mosaics include a representation of the Jack London Oak, the official city oak tree.  Concerts are also held here, including weekly performances by the Bay Area Blues Society.  Other times people from nearby office buildings often come here to eat their lunches.

I'm out of town for a week and using the wonders of auto-posting.

Skywatch Friday: City Hall

We're enjoying fair weather; some days are actually hot.  These blue skies are representative of the last several days.  Maybe this year we'll have a true summer.  Leafing out trees don't yet obscure our City Hall.  When it was completed in 1914 it was called the "wedding cake."  It was also the first highrise government building in the country and the tallest building west of the Mississippi!   For other sky views, be sure and visit Skywatch Friday.

City Hall

Our City Hall on Independence Day.  Downtown is pretty empty on a holiday.  There were no parades or fireworks this year due to severe budget constraints.  And in your town?

Skywatch Friday: roof tops

The City Hall cupola peeks out from behind a modern roof line a block away.  A half moon watches all.  As you can tell, we've continued to enjoy fine weather during the day.  But the temperature drops dramatically as the sun sets.  Rain is in the forecast for the weekend.  For more Skywatch Friday offerings, click here.

Weekend Reflections: California State Building

This is a bit of a trompe l'oeil.  The back windows of the downtown California State Building reflect the multi-story wing on the right.  The baroque looking cupola tops our City Hall one block south of the State building.  It just happened to align with the structure in the reflection.  Serendipity.  For more reflective photos, visit James' meme Weekend Reflections.

detail on City Hall

This is one of the graceful details on our City Hall.  This frieze celebrates California's agricultural abundance.

Welcome to Oakland, California--the sunny side of the Bay

The cupola of our City Hall reflected in the the windows of an adjacent building.  This is a beautiful Beaux-Arts building dating to 1914 and now facing on Frank Ogawa Plaza.