"Driving Force" Talk
Los Angeles has long been recognized for its deep connection to the automobile. While factors like terrain, climate, and urban planning have been touted as the reason behind this love affair, the role of auto dealers has been overlooked. With innovations like on-site repairs and dealership-direct financing, dealers ensured the survival of the fledgling auto industry, convincing consumers of the necessity of owning a car. Join authors Darryl Holter and Stephen Gee as they discuss their latest book, Driving Force: Automobiles and the New American City, 1900-1930, exploring how local car dealers transformed a novel form of transportation into one of the defining characteristics of our city.
Event is Free! Attendees will have the chance to join guided tours of our early 20th century car collection and are eligible for a 10% discount off membership. Light refreshments and tours from 6 pm - 7 pm. Main event starts at 7 pm.
About the Authors:
Darryl Holter is a historian, former automobile dealer, urban revitalizer, and musician. He is the former CEO of the Downtown LA Auto group of eight dealerships and served as Chairman of the California New Car Dealers Association and a Director of the Greater Los Angeles New Car Dealers Association. Holter was the Founding Chair of the Business Improvement District that revitalized the Figueroa Corridor, the historic Auto Row of Los Angeles, where the number of auto dealerships grew from five in 1995 to thirteen in 2022. Holter is an Adjunct Professor of
History at the University of Southern California and the author of The Battle for Coal: Miners
and Nationalization in France, Workers and Unions in Wisconsin, and Woody Guthrie in Los Angeles (with William Deverell). He lives in Los Angeles.
Stephen Gee is an award-winning writer and television producer based in Los Angeles. He is the author of Iconic Vision: John Parkinson, Architect of Los Angeles (2013), and co-author, with Arnold Schwartzman, of Los Angeles Central Library: A History of its Art and Architecture (2016), which won the 2016 Glenn Goldman Award for Art, Architecture, and Photography, presented by the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association. He also wrote Los Angeles City Hall: An American Icon (2018) and Paul R. Williams: Master Architects of Southern California 1920-1940 (2021), produced in collaboration with Marc Appleton and Bret Parsons.