Title supplied by cataloger.; In episode #10001 of "California's Gold," Huell Howser visits the Los Angeles Public Library to see this collection of Ansel Adams photographs. Los Angeles City hall is a Goodhue-esque structure with classical detailing at the base (Greek freize main entrance and Romanesque arcades) and a campanile-like tower influenced by Ziggurat construction. The concrete that the tower is made of was formed from sand taken from each of California's 50 counties and water from each of its 21 missions. It was the tallest building in Los Angeles, by law, until the 1950s. For decades, no building in Los Angeles was allowed to exceed the height of City Hall, until 1957. it remained the tallest building in California from 1928-1964, at 28 stories tall (450 feet). It was built from 1926-28, and first dedicated on April 27th of the same year. Associated architects were Austin, Parkinson, Parkinson and Martin.; Around 1939, Ansel Adams was commissioned by Fortune magazine to photograph a series of images for an article covering the aviation history of the Los Angeles area. For the project, Adams took 217 photographs showing everyday life, businesses, street scenes, aerospace employees, and a variety of other subjects, but when the article, "City of Angels," appeared in the March 1941 issue, only a few of the images were included. In the early 1960s, approximately 20 years later, Adams rediscovered all of the photographs among papers at his home in Carmel, and sent a letter of inquiry to the Los Angeles Public Library, asking if the institution would be interested in receiving the collection as a donation. In his letter, Adams expressed that, "the weather was bad over a rather long period and none of the pictures were very good" and "if they have no value whatsoever, please dispose of them in the incenerator [sic]." He went on to write that "I would imagine that they represent about $100.00 minimum value." In response, the Los Angeles Public Library gladly accepted the gift of 135 contact prints and 217 negatives, and the staff concluded that a fair value for the collection would be $150.00. View of the Los Angeles City Hall tower, as seen from the parking area located at the top of Court Flight Railroad. The Hall of Records is visible between the tree and the tower.
Type
Image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;26 x 21 cm. Photographic prints
Los Angeles City Hall (Los Angeles, Calif.) Los Angeles County Hall of Records (Los Angeles, Calif. : 1911-1962) City halls--California--Los Angeles Public buildings--California--Los Angeles Civic centers--California--Los Angeles Automobiles--California--Los Angeles Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments Lost architecture--California--Los Angeles Ansel Adams Fortune Magazine Collection photographs Martin, Albert C.,1879-1960 Parkinson, John,1861-1935 Austin, John C. W.(John Corneby Wilson),1870-1963 Parkinson, Donald B.(Donald Berthold),1895-1945
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