Guide to the Gordon and Brysis Whitnall Papers,
1913-1975

In 1913, Gordon Whitnall founded the Los Angeles City Planning Association, and in 1920, he established the Los Angeles City Planning Department. From 1920-1930, he was Director of Planning for Los Angeles, and from 1929-1930 was president of the League of California Cities. From 1932-1935 he was the coordinator of the Committee on Government Simplification for Los Angeles County. In 1941, Gordon and Brysis Whitnall established a planning and government consulting firm in Los Angeles. Gordon Whitnall was an instructor in Planning at the University of Southern California, and a member of the American Society of Planning Officials, the American Institute of Planners, the American Society of Consulting Planners, and the International Fraternity of Lambda Alpha, Los Angeles Chapter.

Includes ordinances, maps, reports, and correspondence for cities in the West and Southwest, including Amarillo, Texas; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Seattle, Washington; and Los Angeles, Modesto, Glendale, Palm Springs, and numerous other cities in California. Personal files consist of course outlines; Gordon and Brysis Whitnall interview tapes and transcript; material on Charles B. Whitnall Park; professional society correspondence, publications, and research information concerning the the American Insitute of Planners, the American Society of Planning Officials, and other organizations; published articles and reports; and tape recording of a speech at Cornell University, "After a Half Century of Urban Zoning--What's the Verdict." Also, family and biographical material; income tax returns; and other miscellaneous business and personal papers.