 Griffith Park Wins Your Support Made It Happen On Tuesday, January 27, 2009, the LA City Council's voted 15-0 to approve Griffith Park as a city Historic- Cultural Momument. The only exceptions were already planned projects to expand the Autry National Center and DWP Headworks facilities and a proposed 6 month transition period for city departments to work out details of what issues require supervision of the Office of Historic Resourses. But all significant future projects in the park will be subject to historic review.  Dozens of supporters gather with Councilmember LaBonge and Van Griffith after the Park's City Council victory To learn more about the wealth of historically significant elements of the park that would be protected use the links below: City Council Committee Recommendation of Approval to full Council - 2 pages Cultural Heritage Commission Recommendation letter to City Council - 14 pages The full Historic-Cultural Monument Application - 350 pages Initial staff report for the Cultural Heritage Commission - 7 pages Cultural Heritage Commission Meeting audio recording - 8/21/08 Final Staff report for Cultural Heritage Commission - Oct. 2008 - 12 pages Already over 40 civic and environmental groups have publicly expressed their support for protecting the whole park. Click here for the list. The LA Conservancy Strongly Supports the Designation Video excerpts of the CHC Meeting runs 23 minutes Valley Vote Press Release in Support - 11/13/08 The Sunday, Sept. 28th LA Times had an interesting article on the subject. Historic-Cultural Monument Thursday, October 30,
2008, A special meeting of the city's Cultural Heritage
Commission, attended by over 100 supporters of declaring Griffith Park
a city Historic-Cultural Monument, saw the outcome they had worked for.
After more than two hours of consideration of the issue the
Commission voted 3-1 to include all of Griffith Park in its recommendation
to the City Council that the park receive historic-cultural monument
status.
The crowd of more that 125 were heartened when Councilmember Tom LaBonge finally declared, "I'm happy to support full consideration of this nomination." He went on to say that "all items in the future will be done with oversight." And urged the crowd "that all this energy should go forward to enhance Griffith Park." More than 58 public comment speaker cards were submitted by supporters including GGPNC President Philip Gasteier, who characterized the designation as "pure positive" and thanked the Neighborhood Council Coalition and dozens of groups who supported the nomination. GGPNC Historic Preservation Committee chair Ken Owen, and Park's Committee chair Bernadette Soter stressed that even those elements of the park designated as "non contributing" in an historic sense should still be of concern to the commission in protecting the park in the future.
A
big thanks to all those who took the time to come down to city hall or
write the Commission and Councilmember to urge support. Your voices
made the difference...a big difference.
CHC Meeting Excerpt Video - LaBonge/GGPNC/Debate & Vote - runs 22:46
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| The L.A. Conservancy (Largest membership-based local historic preservation organization in the country) The Sierra Club (Angeles Chapter -- 50,000 members in L.A. and Orange Counties) The Federation of Hillside and Canyon Associations (36 residential associations from Glassell Park to Pacific Palisades) Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Coalition - LANCC (Over 40 certified Neighborhood Councils from Valley, Westside, Harbor, Northeast and Southeast regions of Los Angeles) The City Project (Non-profit advocacy group focused on the equitable creation/expansion of parks providing urban children with safe places to play) HPOZ Alliance of Los Angeles (A coalition of Los Angeles’ 22 designated historic districts) San Fernando Valley Historical Society Highland Park Heritage Trust Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council Hollywood United Neighborhood Council Atwater Village Neighborhood Council Greater Cypress Park Neighborhood Council Silver Lake Neighborhood Council Hollywood Studio District Neighborhood Council East Hollywood Neighborhood Council Greater Toluca Lake Neighborhood Council Foothills Trails District Neighborhood Council Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council Granada Hills North Neighborhood Council Granada Hills South Neighborhood Council |
Griffith Park Draft Master Plan Working Group Los Feliz Improvement Association Oaks Homeowners Association Franklin Hills Residents Association Los Feliz Estates Owners Association Hollywoodland Homeowners Association Beachwood Canyon Association Mount Washington Homeowners Alliance Barnsdall Neighborhood Association Pacific Palisades Residents Association Granada Hills Old Homeowners Association North Valley Coalition Los Feliz Businesss Improvement District Friends of Atwater Village Saving L.A. Project (S.L.A.P.) Friends of O’Melveny Park Equestrian Trails Inc (National) and ETI Corral 38, Griffith Park Los Angeles Hiking Meetup Group Los Feliz Flyers Running Club Wild Mountain Runners Recreation and Equestrian Coalition, Agoura Hills (REC) WIlmington Historical Society Banning Park HPOZ The Beachwood Canyon Neighborhood Association |
| Suggested letters or emails Please also send a copy to GGPNC@GGPNC.org |
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| To: Councilmember Tom LaBonge City Hall, room 480 200 N. Spring Street Los Angeles, CA 90012 Example A: I strongly support the designation of the whole of Griffith Park as an historic cultural monument. I hope that you agree and will support it as well. Example B: I use Griffith Park on a regular basis. I know you do so as well. Please join me and my friends in supporting the designation of all of Griffith Park as an historic-cultural monument of our City. Griffith Park deserves the designation, and hopefully it will preserve the park for our children and grandchildren without urbanization, of which we have too much now. Example C: I understand that you have questions about designating the entire Griffith Park as an historic cultural monument. Please think big. Protect the park and all of the park. I know your heart is in the right place, but prove it by supporting the Griffith family’s application. |
To: Cultural Heritage Commission City Hall, room 620 200 N. Spring Street Los Angeles, CA 90012 Example A:
I support the designation of the entire Griffith Park, not simply Col Griffith's original donation but every part of the current park regardless of how the
land was obtained by the City.
Example B:
I support the designation of the entire Griffith Park. I do not
support the separation of structures from the park land, whether wilderness or
planted, as this defeats the purpose of preserving the park as an open space for
all the people.
Example C:
I support the designation of the entire Griffith Park. I do not
believe City agencies ought to be allowed to freely despoil the park with
dumping and storage facilities, and I am hopeful that designation of the entire
park will prevent this in the future.
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