The document discusses the demolition of several historic American city halls from the 1960s and their replacement with modernist structures. It notes that preservationists attempted to save Grand Rapids city hall from demolition but were unsuccessful. In contrast, German cities rebuilt their bombed city halls after WWII instead of replacing them. The document speculates that Americans tore down their outdated city halls in the 1960s due to changing social values and lack of connection to European architectural traditions.