County bids farewell to a pair of landmark buildings – Welcome to San Bernardino County

Demolition has begun for two fire-damaged county buildings in downtown San Bernardino that served the public for six decades.

The six-story Old Hall of Records at 172 W. 3rd St. and the Public Health building next door at 351 N. Mountain View Ave. will initially become an expanded parking lot while other uses for the land are considered.

As the name suggests, the structure at 172 W. 3rd St. originally served as the county’s Hall of Records before those services were moved to the current Hall of Records at 222 W. Hospitality Lane several years ago.

Following the move, the building provided office space for several county departments until it was irreparably damaged by a major three-alarm fire on June 19, 2022. Smoke from the fire inundated the aging Public Health building next door. The fire occurred on a Sunday morning – Father’s Day, in fact – so no county employees or customers were at risk.

Public Health and the offices located in the Old Hall of Records were moved to other nearby locations.

Because the buildings were built in the 1960s and modified over time before current construction regulations were enacted, fire remediation and environmental and hazardous materials abatement took two years to complete before demolition could begin.

Demolition is expected to continue into 2025.

Additional County Update News – July 3, 2024