Community Update

An Author Night
with Stephen Gee and Debi Howell-Ardila will be presented at the Library on
October 24 at 7 p.m. The program will carry a distinctive Los
Angeles/South Pasadena area architectural theme.  Gee’s new book, “Iconic
Vision: John Parkinson, Architect of Los Angeles” convincingly demonstrates
that John Parkinson (1861-1935) created the look of America’s most dynamic
metropolis, long before the world recognized the city’s importance. Among
Parkinson’s four hundred buildings in the City of Angels are Los Angeles City
Hall, the most iconic building in California; Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum,
the world’s only modern stadium to host two Olympic Games;  and Union
Station, the masterpiece that brought California’s railroad lines together.
Iconic Vision, the first biography of the master architect, documents
Parkinson’s monumental contributions to the city he loved. Parkinson designed
more landmark buildings in Los Angeles than any other architect and Stephen
Gee’s biography penetratingly tells the story of a man who envisioned our tomorrow.

Stephen Gee has
worked on numerous award-winning television productions and coverage of
high-profile news stories, including four U.S. presidential elections.
Experienced in television production, Gee was the lead cameraman and producer
for a series of documentaries for National Geographic. A graduate of London's
City University, he has lived in Los Angeles since 1995.

Debi Howell-Ardila serves on the Cultural
Heritage Commission in South Pasadena and works as senior architectural
historian with Sapphos Environmental in Pasadena. She holds a Master of
Historic Preservation from USC, where her thesis explored Southern Californian
Mid-Century Modernism and the history of the USC School of Architecture.

Howell—Ardila will be making a
presentation on nationally-acclaimed South Pasadena architect Whitney R. Smith
(1911-2002), who received a bachelor's degree in architecture from USC in
1934.  For the firm of Smith and Williams, Smith worked on




















the Unitarian Church in Pasadena, the central power building at Caltech, the
dining facility at Camp Curry in Yosemite, and the Japanese teahouse at
Descanso Gardens in La Canada Flintridge. Smith operated his own private
practice in South Pasadena until the mid-1980s. His personal projects include
the auditorium for the Huntington Library, the Pasadena Neighborhood Church,
and the art studio and gymnasium at Westridge School for Girls in Pasadena.
Smith taught architecture and planning at USC and at Scripps College in
Claremont. He also served on the Planning Commission and the Community
Redevelopment Agency of South Pasadena.

The free program is
presented by the South Pasadena Public Library and the Friends of the South
Pasadena Public Library. The Community Room is located at 1115 El Centro
Street. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. No tickets or reservations are necessary.
Refreshments will be served and autographed books will be available for
purchase. Special thanks to Angel City Press, the South Pasadena Cultural
Heritage Commission, and the South Pasadena Preservation Foundation.