FoGP logo

Griffith Park: A Historical Cultural Landmark

On Dec 4, 2014

On Christmas Day 1896, Colonel Griffith J. Griffith gifted Los Angeles with Griffith Park, the heart and lungs of our City. Immigrant-made-good Griffith knew what it was like to be poor and hemmed in. He envisioned a park that would be an antidote to the city, a “resort” for the plain people, open and free.

Colonel Griffith J. Griffith“Give nature a chance to do her good work and nature will give every person a greater opportunity in health, strength and mental power.” ~Griffith J. Griffith

For the next 115 years Griffith Park was a green escape for Angelenos who found recreation, rest, adventure, and breathing room there. Over the years, Colonel Griffith descendents kept a hand in, completing the Griffith-endowed Greek Theatre and Griffith Observatory and at times resorting to legal action when the Park became the expedient answer to dilemmas linked to growth. A postwar veterans housing development was built there only to be demolished eight years later. One freeway and then another bulldozed through. Garbage came to the Park in the form of a landfill and in a last-minute reversal, a swath of wilderness meant to join it became a cemetery instead. Smaller hurts accompanied the big ones. Master Plan drafts proposing massive development were floated in 1968 and 2005 and met with widespread dismay. The 1968 Draft re-emerged in 1978 as an enlightened Master Plan. The 2005 Draft remains a source of contention. The urge to exploit the Park and the desire to protect it seemed locked in eternal battle.

In 2008, the Griffith J. Griffith Charitable Trust stepped in to protect Griffith Park, applying to have it declared a City landmark. Alone among previous candidates for monument status, Griffith Park met and exceeded all criteria. It reflects the community’s broad cultural, political, economic, and social history; it is identified with historic figures; it contains inherently valuable architectural styles; it is a significant Cultural Landscape; and it includes of notable works by builders, designers and architects of genius. To top it off, the Park is unique on a national level for its sheer quantity of natural terrain that preserves for posterity rare ecosystems – some dating from the pre-European era – within the boundaries of a modern metropolis.

More than 50 civic and community organizations lined up to support the Trust’s application, and on January 27, 2009, the City Council voted unanimously to name Griffith Park L.A. Historic-Cultural Monument Number 942. If honored, landmark status can be a meaningful tool for preservation. The transparency it requires – public notification of intent to demolish or build – can serve as a shield from the makeover syndrome and other problems that have long plagued the Park. The City’s fiscal crisis is the latest threat, fueling siren calls for privatization and tempting officials to violate Colonel Griffith’s fundamental stipulation that the Park be free. Friends of Griffith Park is committed to working with supporters and preservationists alike to insist that the City uphold Griffith Park’s landmark designation, its unique legacy and historic framework.

 

Comments

4 Comments

  1. Robert King

    You are right about you comments about Griffith giving this property to the people of Los Angeles. But when he gave it to the people it was for there use and was supposed to be free. There are a few venues in the park that you need to pay for, but most are free. I this skyline were built, would it be free? As I member it was the late 70’s or early 80’s when a toll booth was installed by the city at the park entrance on Vermont. Shortly after the city stopped charging a fee because it violated what Griffith intended. Again I ask, if this skyway is built, will it be free? Or will it violate what Griffith intended with his donation.

    Reply
    • Kathryn Louyse

      Are you referring to the aerial tram? There are venues that charge, but they’re privatized venues. If you’re referencing the tram, this too would charge for use.

      Reply
    • Kathryn Louyse

      We’ve seen this article and many similar articles touting ‘improved mobility and decreased traffic woes’

      Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment.

Related ARTICLES

Dodder Demystified

Dodder Demystified

  Griffith Park is home to a strange plant by the common name of California Dodder (Cuscusta californica). Dodder can be found on every slope of the Park. Many people describe it as spaghetti or noodles that become entangled and twisted as it climbs onto the...

read more
Sustainability? We Got That!

Sustainability? We Got That!

  Griffith Park has been ahead of the game when it comes to sustainability and water recapturing. Long before it became a popular practice, the Park was employing modern practices. One of the best examples is in Fern Dell. You´ve all seen the little stream that...

read more
Rodger Young Village, the Local United Nations

Rodger Young Village, the Local United Nations

  At the end of World War II, thousands of servicemen and women returned to Los Angeles and looked for a house to rent. Thousands of workers who came earlier to the Los Angeles area to work in aircraft factories already occupied the affordable homes. Two thousand...

read more