Stephen Gee Presents a Talk on John Parkinson: Iconic Vision
“Future citizens have only to walk through the streets of Los Angeles to be reminded how much John Parkinson in his lifetime contributed to the city that grew up under his hand.” —Los Angeles Times
As part of YesterdayLA, we're thrilled to welcome author Stephen Gee to do a presentation in our historic library at the PRS on iconic architect and historic Angeleno John Parkinson!
John Parkinson was the most important architect in Los Angeles at a time when the city was inventing itself. His work includes many of the structures that four decades after his death continue to define the city. Until Stephen Gee wrote the definitive biography, Iconic Vision: John Parkinson, Architect of Los Angeles, however, few people really knew the innovations and impact Parkinson made while designing the architectural foundation of the City of Angels. Turn almost any corner downtown and you'll see Parkinson's stamp.
Los Angeles was little more than an agricultural cow-town with wide open spaces and bean fields to its east and west when John Parkinson arrived from England in 1894. What a growth spurt he witnessed! Parkinson is the design genius behind such iconic buildings as City Hall, Bullock’s Wilshire, the Memorial Coliseum, and Grand Central Market. He created the city's first Class "A" steel-frame structure, the Homer Laughlin Building (now Grand Central Market), and the city's first skyscraper, the Braly Block, at Fourth and Spring Streets. He designed the city's first world-class hotel, the Alexandria, and many of the banks that funded the city’s expansion. He created a master plan for the expansion of USC and designed many of the University's renowned structures, including the Bovard Administration Building.
By the time he died in 1935, Parkinson had been responsible for more than 200 of the city’s buildings, more than 50 of which still stand, shaping the city's unmistakable skyline. In his obituary, the Los Angeles Times declared, “Future citizens have only to walk through the streets of Los Angeles to be reminded how much John Parkinson in his lifetime contributed to the city that grew up under his hand.” What makes Parkinson’s story even more remarkable is that he was born the son of a mill worker in the industrial northwest of England. He had little training and became an architect almost by accident, transforming the burgeoning town into a booming city, with his signature on the architecture of banks, hotels, markets, and university buildings. After Parkinson’s death, his son Donald continued his projects and led the firm of Parkinson and Parkinson, seeing through to completion his father’s design for Union Station and thereby solidifying Parkinson's legacy throughout history.
Stephen Gee captures the entire Parkinson story in Iconic Vision: John Parkinson, Architect of Los Angeles.
Author Stephen Gee has worked on numerous award-winning TV productions. As a senior producer for GMTV, the UK's main TV morning news show, he coordinated coverage of the 9/11 attacks. The coverage won praise from Britain's Independent Television Commission. Based in Los Angeles for 17 years, Stephen has directed and produced coverage of high-profile news stories, including four U.S. presidential elections, as well as numerous natural disasters and important court cases. Stephen is a graduate of City University, London's prestigious postgraduate Newspaper Journalism course. He lives in Los Angeles. Iconic Vision is his first book.
