Customer Reviews

City Hall: The Heart of Los Angeles

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This book tells the story of how the historic Los Angeles City Hall came to be renovated after an earthquake in 1994. The trajectory of the storytelling is interesting -- beginning with the capping off of the tower's beacon light (delivered by helicopter in 2001), then flashing back to 1926, when the Hall was first built.

This educational kids' book describes the glory of the original City Hall, and the heart and care with which it was designed and built. The same heart and care went into its maintenance during WWII and its eventual reconstruction during the 1990s.

The art work is lovely and bright, the designs on the page echoing the designs employed in the structure itself. The book is so pretty that it's easy to forget you're learning something -- ranging from how elevators work to the function of a base isolator (an architectural device used to stabilize foundations in the case of earthquakes).

I haven't been to the City Hall yet, but after reading this book, I plan to make a visit soon. The book reminds readers that people can care for their cities and the structures within them; this is a refreshing thought indeed!