Buried Treasure in City Hall

When people talk about the buried treasure at City Hall, they are often referring to the hidden monies in the City Budget that the electeds use for pet projects. Nothing illegal, just not aired out in front of the public. We can talk about that every time the budget is discussed - especially this upcoming budget year in the City where there will be a $450 million shortfall. But this time, the buried treasure is different - it's real!

Los Angeles City Hall was built as a monument to all to show the importance of the growing metropolis in the 1920s. Completed in 1927, the building has stood almost 80 years as the seat of municipal government. (It actually made money its first years of operation, as it was over-designed which allowed space to be rented to the Courts for 10 years.) It was re-dedicated and fully restored in 2001. Though the City has outgrown it, it is still a tribute to the great city.

Well, back when the building was being completed, the City thought it would be appropriate to insert a time capsule into the cornerstone of the 28 floor building. According to the LA Times:

"Just before the corner-stone was lowered into position, a copper box was placed inside which contained more than a score of historical documents and other articles. Among these was an autographed photograph of Mayor Cryer, his annual message, the charter of Los Angeles, a history of the California pioneers, a copy of the city budget for 1927-28, an account of the discovery of gold in 1848, three gold nuggets and numerous other articles."

"Three gold nuggets?" - that's treasure to me! Mayor Cryer seemed a bit like our current mayor in his placement of a signed photo - even 80 years ago the mayor of LA was a celebrity!

Well, in 2001 when the building was restored, the corner stone was allegedly removed, according to Kevin Jew, Chief Operating Officer of Project Restore. No discovery of a time capsule was made when the corner stone was removed. But who knows: maybe the corner stone we knew about in the late 1990s was different than the one from 75 years earlier. In talking to the Bureau of Engineering's Construction Management Division, which oversaw the restoration, no time capsule was known about at that time and they were not looking for a time capsule.
So, start your digging - maybe we can reduce the budget shortfall a bit this year! That time capsule may still be there - if the City is willing to look for it.

"There's gold in them there walls!"