Holly Street
Studio
The Downtown Civic Campus Renovations re-imagines Glendale’s entire municipal block, including complete interior & exterior renovations of City Hall, Council Chambers, Murphy Park, and the Lowell E. Rogers Amphitheater.
In an effort to galvanize Glendale’s historic core as “The Heart of the City”, the campus is complete with generous public spaces at the ground floor, open for community or private events, organizations, and enhanced interfacing with city services. Clarified site pathways, new landscaping, and additional safety measures welcome the community into Murphy Park, converging on the amphitheater — the focal point of the new campus.
Overview
The Glendale Downtown Campus Renovations reimagines an entire municipal block as a cohesive civic center—linking city government, public green space, and community activity throughout. Conceived as five projects in one, the scope includes comprehensive interior and exterior renovations of City Hall and Council Chambers, a re-designed Murphy Park and the Lowell E. Rogers Amphitheater, and temporary workplace renovations at the former Bead Museum and City Annex just across the street. The new campus opens its ground floor to the public with flexible event space, city services, and cafe. Throughout, the architecture choreographs a balance between civic formality and human-scale connection, complete with a full building-height public art installation that greets visitors over the new entry plaza.
Site
Murphy Park serves as the connective tissue between Glendale's storied history and civic presence. Previously fragmented by dilapidated paths, the park is being reshaped as a unified part of the civic campus with clarified circulation, new gathering spaces, and increased native plantings. A new landscape strategy reorients the public toward City Hall and the amphitheater, inviting daily use, programmed events, and informal gathering, with framed views through the legacy trees to the new City Hall. The overall campus design strengthens the urban relationships within and beyond the park's boundaries, reinforcing Murphy Park as the heart of the city.
Program
Developed via dozens of engagement sessions with City Staff and Leadership, the new City Hall consolidates departments around a new light-filled, efficient layout, with equitable access to park views and the public. The building’s open ground floor functions as a one-stop shop for city services — establishing a transparent and active interface between government and community. Above, collaborative office environments support the daily work of various municipal departments, while fitness, employee wellness spaces, and Council Offices occupy the Garden Level that opens to the amphitheater event spaces. The building’s new envelope replaces failing 1980s construction with a modern brick façade that subtly gradients from civic presence to openness, reflecting the program within. Flexible public space, a new café, and enhanced park connections create a campus that is more accessible, adaptable, and rooted in Glendale's commitment to its citizens.
Location
Glendale, Arizona
Project Owner
City of Glendale
Construction Budget
$89.9m
Project Size
120,000 square feet
Completion
April 2026
Associate Architect
Lightvox Studio
Landscape Architecture
Colwell Shelor
Construction Manager at Risk
Okland
Civil Engineer
Dibble Engineering
AV / IT / Acoustics
NV5 Technology & Design
M.E.P Engineering
Energy Systems Design
Structural Engineering
Kimley Horn
Amphitheater Consultant
Schuler Shook
