Where was Southgate's first government building, and what do old records say about it?

Research question: What do the earliest surviving local records say about the first city hall or government building in Southgate, California, and where was it located?

The records show that the city's first public building was its library, for which a building permit was approved in 1938 ¹. The old library building was later designated a landmark because it was the first public building built by the City of South Gate ². The facts do not describe a first city hall or other government building, so they cannot confirm whether the library also served as one. The facts also do not say where the library was located. The newest dated fact is from 1938, so these records are about 88 years old as of October 2026.

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