Sketching Pasadena’s City Hall – a drawing tutorial by Dan Hogman

In the 1900s, when the City Beautiful movement was taking over several cities of the United States, to put great aesthetics and monumentality of the urban landscape to power, the city of Pasadena in California too came on the radar. And as it lead to the making of great landmarks, the Pasadena City Hall was born.

On a trip to Los Angeles in April 2019, our columnist Dan Hogman sought to strike off the iconic structure from his list as he put to paper a vignette of what transfixed him. Smitten by the simple grandeur, he sketched the west elevation of the rectangular edifice that features a three-storey building with small towers at each corner, and a central dome rising high.

The structure, designed by San Francisco-based architects John Bakewell and Arthur Brown, was hugely inspired by the 16th century Renaissance style of Italian architect Andrea Palladio, translating aspects like spaciousness of courts, classical forms and elaborate detailing. It was built in 1927 and is admired for being one of the classic examples of California Mediterranean style. The architecture brings to fore a civic centre that is not just beautiful but a timeless statement of strength, abundance and historic richness of the city that was and continues to be.

Already inspired enough? See the building come to life with a brief sketching tutorial by Dan Hogman and for more such inspiring videos by him, click here