By: Thomas Martin

Author and television producer Stephen Gee came to Town Hall Los Angeles on March 25, 2019 to talk about the history of Los Angeles City Hall and his book, Los Angeles City Hall: An American Icon.

Picture above: Stephen Gee signing a book for Kim McCleary Blue, President of Town Hall LA.

Gee started out the conversation by bringing our members back to a time before the building existed. Before the iconic city hall we know today was built, LA was governed in a brick building on Broadway. And before that, when the city was first founded, the municipality was run out of a wooden shack.

While there are have been some changes to City Hall, such as City Hall East and extensive seismic renovations, the historical prowess of the building has remained the same. As the political center of the city, Gee noted that the countless decisions that have shaped our city came from the hallways of City Hall.

Before answering several questions from our members, Gee ended his remarks by touching on what City Hall means to Angelenos today, and what the future of the landmark might be. ???I love what City Hall symbolizes to Los Angeles, he said. Since the building was erected in the 1920s, City Hall has been a symbol of the progress and modernity of the City of Los Angeles. Through its preservation and written history, such as the one in Los Angeles City Hall: An American Icon, Gee hopes that its message will survive long into the future.

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