Carson City Hall Historic Structure Report and Story Map

Carson City Hall Historic Structure Report and Story Map is a winner for the 2025 Preservation Design Award for Cultural Resource Studies, Reports. Award recipients are selected by a jury of top professionals in the fields of architecture, engineering, planning, and history, as well as renowned architecture critics and journalists. Tickets and sponsorship options are available at californiapreservation.org/programs/awards/.

About Carson City Hall Historic Structure Report and Story Map

Carson City Hall was designed by an ethnically diverse joint venture team led by African American architect Robert Kennard. The project team was chosen to design a building that would serve as the administrative heart of the city and symbolize its inclusive and forward-thinking values. Completed in 1976, the Late Modern building represents Carson’s first purpose-built city hall and reflects the city’s forward-thinking optimism and desire to create a better, more equitable future for its residents.

In 2024, an HSR was created to provide historical context about the building’s history, design, and original design team. It also established a framework to guide the future rehabilitation, restoration, and maintenance of Carson City Hall. Along with the HSR, the project team developed an interactive story map which serves as an easily accessible, public-facing educational tool. The project was made possible through funding provided by the National Trust’s Conserving Black Modernism Grant program.

Community Importance

In an effort to have City Hall’s design team reflect the multi-ethnic population of Carson, the City hired a diverse joint venture group, including African American architect Robert Kennard, Japanese American architect Frank Sata, Robert E. Alexander, Japanese American landscape architect Yoshito Kuromiya, and Latino interior and graphic designer Michael Sanchez, to design the building. The City Hall design team employed the popular Late Modern style, while also aiming to reflect the Spanish heritage of the Dominguez Hills area.

Completed in 1976, City Hall symbolized the transformation of Carson’s existing landscape into a new vision for the future. It marked a significant shift from industrial sprawl to thoughtful urban development in the two decades following incorporation, embodying the city’s motto: “Future Unlimited.”

The HSR and story map are intended to educate the community about the importance of City Hall to the city’s development history, to highlight the significance of its ethnically diverse design team led by African American architect Robert Kennard, and to provide an overview of Modernism in Carson more broadly. The HSR and interactive story map serve as useful tools to engage the public according to the city’s educational programming goals.

About CPF and the Awards

The California Preservation Awards are a statewide hallmark, showcasing the best in historic preservation. The awards ceremony includes the presentation of the Preservation Design Awards and the President’s Awards, bringing together hundreds of people each year to share and celebrate excellence in preservation.

The California Preservation Foundation (CPF), a 501c3 nonprofit, was incorporated in 1978. We now support a national network of more than 36,000 members and supporters. Click here to learn how you can become a member.