Town hall growing along with the city

New downtown facility in Lake Elsinore to be done in next 2 years

What’s old and new will find a home in a new downtown city hall for southwest Riverside County’s oldest city.

Lake Elsinore broke ground late last year on a 40,252-squarefoot city hall next to the current one. Construction of the threestory building at the corner of Main Street and East Graham Avenue is expected to take 18 to 24 months.

The $31.3 million project, which has been in the works for several years, is meant to handle a growing demand for public services.

Founded in 1883 — a far cry from most southwest county cities that incorporated in the late 20th and early 21st centuries — Lake Elsinore’s population has grown 141% since 2000 to almost 72,000 today.

The city’s added staff to meet residents’ needs, and while city hall has been renovated to make room for the growing workforce, “these efforts have fallen short of satisfying the escalating demands placed upon the facilities,” Adam Gufarotti, Lake Elsinore’s community support manager, said via email.

Besides extra room for employees, the new city hall “is poised to become a hub for civic activities,” Gufarotti said, adding the Lake Elsinore City Council plans to meet in the new building instead of its current venue at the Lake Elsinore Cultural Center.

The building is designed to make an impression on visitors. It will include an open, two-story glass entrance with wood stud walls, and the council’s third-floor chambers will have a view of Lake Elsinore. The lobby will display Lake Elsinore’s first fire engine, a 1925 American Lafrance model.

The council in May 2022 took out $27 million in bonds to help pay for the new city hall.