Main Street Lobby & Elevator Cabs

Visitors to City Hall’s Main Street Lobby who wish to take an elevator cab to the upper floors may now enjoy beautifully restored marble and metalwork thanks to a collaboration between the City of Los Angeles and Project Restore. As the primary entrance to City Hall, the lobby is sensitive to deterioration and damage. 

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For eight months, specialists worked quietly in the evenings, so as not to disturb the building’s daily work environment. Once the lobby’s metal and stone work were completed, the team began work on the eight elevator cabs.

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It is important to note that during the 1960s all eight of the building’s original bronze elevator cabs were taken out and dismantled in an attempt to “modernize” City Hall. Although they were discarded and sold as scrap, in 1991 Project Restore was fortunate to find and purchase the last remaining cab from a salvage business. Molds were cast to create replicas of the original with the addition of new technical upgrades made during the 2001 Seismic Retrofit and Restoration Project.

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We encourage you to take a closer look next time you visit the iconic L.A. City Hall.