The New City Hall

OSCD-1

Observation

Baton Rouge does not have a city hall.

Discussion

The Governmental Building on St. Louis Street is bureaucratic in appearance and incapable of providing a symbol for the Mayor’s Office as a focus of civil leadership. The building is shared by the Mayor’s administration and the courts. The Mayor’s quarters are currently lodged in three of the ten stories, more anonymously than such an office should be.

As there is a need for additional district court space, it should be accommodated within the Mayor’s current three stories — not in a judicial annex. Rather than splitting the functions, the court should take the entire building and a new city hall created.

The Mayor’s Office should be accommodated in its traditional site, which is the correct location symbolically for the City Hall of Baton Rouge. This is on North Boulevard at the termination of Fourth Street, as an axial reciprocal to the State Capitol. This site is now the parking lot in front of the Department of Public Works. The City Hall could be easily connected by a corridor leading back to the existing Department of Public Works building, and by a bridge to the very suitable office building now available to the east. With these as “back office”, the new City Hall would only need to accommodate the rooms of symbolic significance: the mayor’s office, council chamber, council offices, lobby, meeting rooms, and the like. This new building could therefore be constructed relatively economically. Although the construction of a new city hall would not require that this building be vacated, the Department of Public Works could move to the Post Office lot at the eastern end of North Boulevard.

Recommendation

Arrange for the use of the Mayor’s current quarters within the Governmental Building by the projected expansion of the court already in the building. Purchase 101 St. Ferdinand, (Pelican Homestead), renovate it, and use for temporary offices until such time as the City Hall next door is complete. Connect the buildings with a bridge.

Responsibility

Office of the Mayor and Plan Baton Rouge

Project Status

At the September 16, 1999 One Year Celebration, Andres Duany enthusiastically promoted the construction of a new city hall on the parking lot in front of the Municipal Building. A group of community leaders would like to see a blue-ribbon committee appointed to promote the idea.

Implementation

Explanation of Terms

Product

New Public Facility

Responsibility

MO & PBR

Implementing Agent

DPW

Feasibility Analysis

PBR

Initial Financing

PBR

Project Financing

CPF

Timing