Beverly Hills City Hall is a fanciful
Spanish Renaissance building known for
its pale blue exterior paint accents, its blue, green and gold tile dome, gilded
cupola and architectural elements representing government and commerce. Designed
in 1932 by architect William Gage, interior terrazzo floors, marble walls and
intricate ceilings are beloved by Beverly Hills residents. One the best known
Beverly Hills icons could easily have vanished. It was not structurally
earthquake-safe and also not big enough. Thanks to a $110 million renovation and
design work by architect Charles Moore, a 10-year effort to save this landmark
came to fruition when the Beverly Hills City Hall reopened in 1992 with an
additional 18,000 square feet for a total 67,000 square feet. Linked to a new
public library, fire and police department, the historic City Hall is surrounded
by lush palm gardens and includes a series of elliptical courtyards
connecting the city's buildings across Rexford Drive. This connection was
described by Charles Moore as similar to beads on a string.
Charles Moore sadly passed away just one year after his great tribute to Beverly
Hills was unveiled. But millions will continue to enjoy his contributions as a
humanist who attempted to create what a place that is distinguishable in mind
and memory from other places. Moore's work can be seen at
Sea Ranch Condominiums
in Sonoma County, Kresge College at UC Santa Cruz and Burns House in Santa
Monica Canyon, and in the works of thousands of students who learned from him in
his distinguished career teaching architecture Yale University, UC
Berkeley and UCLA. Born in Benton Harbor, Michigan, Charles Moore lived 68 years
from 1925 to 1993.
What the process of choosing this great
architect shows about Beverly Hills is the attention to detail, desire to
maintain architecture of historic value and love of art residents embrace. An
active city art commission panel dedicates its time to putting its best foot
forward and rightfully so. Just down the the street is the lovely Rodeo Drive
shopping promenade with some of the finest designers and couture boutiques in
the world.
This love of art is also visible in
special exhibits featured on the grounds of City Hall. With great delight, we
happened by the Beverly Hills City Hall on a Starline Tour when the works of
renowned Sculptor Tom Otterness were on display. Three bronze pieces in a
group, See No Evil, shown in the photo above, were part of an exhibit of
outdoor placements. Created in 2002, See No Evil contains three larger-than-life
cubed figures that stand on one base. One has its hands over its eyes, the next
covers its ears representing Hear No Evil and the third covers its mouth to
represent Speak No Evil. First shown in a One Person Exhibit, See No Evil
premiered in Marlborough Gallery, New York, in 2002.
Included in the traveling exhibit that contains one piece called Large Covered
Wagon, Tom Otterness's work was selected by the Beverly Hills Fine Art
Commission, charged with the duty of enhancing the beauty of the City through
the installation of public art. (City of Beverly Hills Art & Cultural Events
division at (310) 550-4796). The humorous and irreverent Otterness exhibit
provides a social commentary on modern society's love of money, turning iconic
symbols into caricatures. See No Evil, 2002; Large Covered Wagon, 2004; Big Big
Penny, 1993; Free Money, 2001; Mad Mom, 2001; King, 1997; Queen, 1997; and Tree
of Knowledge stood on the Beverly Hills lawns of City Hall for several nearly
half a year, entertaining thousands who passed by in their cars daily and those
who wandered the grounds to enjoy the displays.
Based in New York City, Otterness has enjoyed commercial success around the
globe. The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, The San Francisco Museum
of Modern Art, The Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh and the Federal
Courthouse, General Services Administration, Sacramento (bronze called Gold
Rush) are but a few of the locations where you can view his works. Otterness has
created hundreds of pieces that have been installed and exhibited
internationally. Even now as we write this story, he most likely is busy
creating a new piece. His energy does not seem to cease.
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