Building for the Future. Part 1: City Hall.
05/27/2025 01:42PM ● By Haley Watkins
The lobby of the new City Hall building features works from Steamboat Art Museum's permanent collection. The art will be rotated every six months. Photos by Gavin Liddell.
The new City Hall stands as a modern, centralized hub for city operations, designed with both public accessibility and employee wellness in mind. After years of planning and collaboration, the building is now fully operational, offering upgraded facilities and fostering a more connected working environment than the old facility offered.
At the heart of the building is a centralized front desk, allowing staff to assist with a variety of services in one place. “We designed it with three zones,” says facilities manager Eric Friese. “If you have a question for the planning department, there is space where you can sit down and go over plans. If you just need to pay a water bill quickly, there’s a space for that, too. It makes everything more efficient.”
Public accessibility was a key consideration. The building features two meeting rooms available for public use, both equipped with modern technology to support virtual meetings. “We expect these spaces to get a lot of use, just like the ones at the police station,” says communications manager Mike Lane. The inclusion of public restrooms was another important addition. “Clean, public bathrooms downtown are hard to find,” he says. “It was important to us to offer that access during normal business hours.”
The new City Hall also emphasizes employee wellness and collaboration. The building includes covered bike storage, charging stations for e-bikes and two locker rooms – allowing employees to bike to work or take a mid-day ski break. “Wellness was a big part of the design philosophy – we wanted to create a space that supported the active lifestyle our community values,” Eric says.
Inside, a mix of private offices and open workspaces encourages collaboration while allowing for quiet, focused work. The third-floor houses offices and includes a shared break area to foster spontaneous conversations across departments. Outside, the former 10th Street has transformed into a civic plaza with a pedestrian-friendly walkway and three art installations. “It’s designed to be a place where people want to gather,” Mike says.
Throughout the design process, collaboration with departments focused on meeting both current and future needs. Departments like engineering, planning and finance are now grouped together to streamline communication. “It’s all about making things easier for both staff and the public,” Eric says. “The building reflects our commitment to serving the community efficiently while supporting the people who make that happen.”
As the city settles into its new home, the vision behind the project is clear: a modern, adaptable space that reflects the city’s values of accessibility, collaboration and community connection.
The new City Hall stands as a modern, centralized hub for city operations, designed with both public accessibility and employee wellness in mind. After years of planning and collaboration, the building is now fully operational, offering upgraded facilities and fostering a more connected working environment than the old facility offered.
At the heart of the building is a centralized front desk, allowing staff to assist with a variety of services in one place. “We designed it with three zones,” says facilities manager Eric Friese. “If you have a question for the planning department, there is space where you can sit down and go over plans. If you just need to pay a water bill quickly, there’s a space for that, too. It makes everything more efficient.”
Public accessibility was a key consideration. The building features two meeting rooms available for public use, both equipped with modern technology to support virtual meetings. “We expect these spaces to get a lot of use, just like the ones at the police station,” says communications manager Mike Lane. The inclusion of public restrooms was another important addition. “Clean, public bathrooms downtown are hard to find,” he says. “It was important to us to offer that access during normal business hours.”
The new City Hall also emphasizes employee wellness and collaboration. The building includes covered bike storage, charging stations for e-bikes and two locker rooms – allowing employees to bike to work or take a mid-day ski break. “Wellness was a big part of the design philosophy – we wanted to create a space that supported the active lifestyle our community values,” Eric says.
Inside, a mix of private offices and open workspaces encourages collaboration while allowing for quiet, focused work. The third-floor houses offices and includes a shared break area to foster spontaneous conversations across departments. Outside, the former 10th Street has transformed into a civic plaza with a pedestrian-friendly walkway and three art installations. “It’s designed to be a place where people want to gather,” Mike says.
Throughout the design process, collaboration with departments focused on meeting both current and future needs. Departments like engineering, planning and finance are now grouped together to streamline communication. “It’s all about making things easier for both staff and the public,” Eric says. “The building reflects our commitment to serving the community efficiently while supporting the people who make that happen.”
As the city settles into its new home, the vision behind the project is clear: a modern, adaptable space that reflects the city’s values of accessibility, collaboration and community connection.