Penfield Tate II - Municipal Building (1951)

You have arrived at the Sister Cities Plaza In front of the Municipal Building. The City of Boulder has 10 Sister Cities. For many years Boulder's Sister Cities program has developed meaningful relationships with communities internationally. This demonstrates Boulder’s innovative commitment to the importance of respect and cooperation between cultures that can sometimes seem worlds apart.

Now look up at the Penfield Tate II Municipal Building which is the civic heart of Boulder. This location was envisioned as early as the 1920s as the site for the City’s first dedicated City Hall.

The Municipal building opened in 1951 and, ever since, has been the primary place where policy decisions have been made that shape our community. It is designed in the very modern, International Style which exemplifies the City’s commitment to being a center for progress and innovation. The initial building design was larger to house the city hall, library and a museum, but due to rising costs, the plans were reduced. The design was by the firm of James Hunter Architecture, that also created the nearby Boulder public library and the Museum of Boulder buildings. The design is inspired by the work of the famous French modernist architect Le Corbusier, demonstrating that our local architects were tapped into progressive international design ideas of the time.

The building has a layer of more recent history, when it was renamed to honor Penfield Tate II, Boulder’s first and only Black mayor to date. Tate advocated for equality for all and took action to provide legal protection for the LGBTQ+ community.

The tour proceeds to the east, crossing Broadway at Canyon Boulevard, and stopping in front of the Huntington Bandshell between the seating and the stage.