You’re now at the heart of Los Angeles’ Civic Center, standing in front of the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, the county’s main judicial building. This 50s modernist structure, all clean lines, marble, and granite, is recognizable by its H-shaped layout. It was designed by an exceptional team of architects led by Paul Revere Williams, a major figure in Los Angeles architecture, and conceived as a cutting-edge public facility for its time. Before this courthouse, the city’s justice system had frequently moved between locations, and for a period, Los Angeles lacked a permanent courthouse entirely after an old red sandstone building became too fragile. The new structure served a dual purpose: to symbolize the stability of the judicial system and to meet the practical needs of a rapidly growing metropolis. Like many Los Angeles courthouses, a statue of Abraham Lincoln is tucked under the trees to your right. Lincoln the Lawyer is a bronze bust depicting him before his presidency, clean-shaven, during his years as an attorney. Created in 1961 by sculptor Robert Merrell Gage, a leading figure in Los Angeles Art Deco and a Lincoln specialist, this monumental piece reminds us that before becoming president, Lincoln was first and foremost a lawyer, a defender of the law and civil rights.