City Hall

Los Angeles is shoveling hundreds of millions of dollars into the seismic upgrade and refurbishment of City Hall. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority spent one-half the amount for its new headquarters building, an up-to-date high rise with three times the usable floor space.

City Hall is a relic of a bygone era. When the refurbishment is complete, it will still be an obsolete building, a symbol of neo-revivalism and everything that is wrong with municipal architecture of that period. With the right leadership, and for a lot less money, Los Angeles could build a state-of-the-art symbol for the 21st century and beyond.

Then again, the city prides itself on an $8-billion subway to nowhere (the cost of two or three cross-county freeways with light rail). What’s a few hundred million more taxpayer dollars down the rat hole?

RICHARD DEIGHT

Architect

Buena Park