Dedication Ceremony and Open House
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic Center Building is a designated city landmark, the cornerstone of Berkeley's Civic Center Historic District. The building was designed in the late 1930's by noted Berkeley architect, James Plachek, who also designed Berkeley's Art Deco Library and the Longfellow School addition.

Dedication Ceremony and Open House Friday, May 11, 200l - 2180 Milvia Street, Berkeley CA 94704

Seismic Retrofit
Seismic retrofit of the Civic Center Building includes a state-of-the-art base isolation system. The completed building rests on eighty-four "shock absorbers" and steel sliders installed in the basement. In a major earthquake the building will suffer less damage resulting in minimal "down time" for City services.

Renovation & Design
The renovation carefully restored the exterior of the building including the elegant west-facing colonnade and preserved the twin stair towers. The building's generous spaces and high ceilings create bright open work spaces featuring environmentally friendly finishes, and light fixtures which recall the historic originals.  The building takes advantage of natural daylight and ventilation to keep energy cost to a minimum. An addition of two conference rooms and a roof terrace adds needed space to the 6th floor.

Mayor Shirley Dean, Councilmembers: Polly Armstrong , Margaret Breland, Miriam Hawley, Linda Maio, Betty Olds, Maudelle Shirek, Dona Spring, Kriss Worthington, City Manager Weldon Rucker

Project Funded By: Berkeley's Local Measure S and Federal Emergency Management Agency
Architect: ELS Construction Manager: Swinerton Management & Consulting
Structural Engineer: Forell/Elsesser Engineers
Mechanical Engineer: Arup San Francisco
Electrical Engineer: The Engineering Enterprise