When you come to Hollywood, the best views of our beautiful city are from high above and the highest elevation you can get closest to Hollywood is atop Runyon Canyon Park.
Located at the top of N. Fuller Avenue, just above Franklin Avenue, this Los Angeles City Park was once the property of an Irish tenor who built a mansion called ‘San Patrizio,’ along with guest houses, a swimming pool and a tennis court. In 1942, it was rumored to become a major country club development designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, but neighbors petitioned to disable the project. In 1984, the city acquired the property for a park.
But, trouble for the park would not be over. According to the Los Angeles Times (April 20, 1995), a wealthy Beverly Hills jeweler once tried to build a two-story, 10,000-square-foot home at the top of the canyon, but conservationists fought to disable that project, and won. Around the same time, Metro was building the Red Line under Runyon Canyon and wanted to build a ventilation tower up through it, but lost.
Today, thanks to Friends of Runyon Canyon, the park is protected by a ‘parkway plan’ – the result of 21 years of intense debate between environmentalists and developers – which bars new construction on prominent ridges visible from Mulholland Drive, as well as the building of any structures within 200 feet of a public park in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Runyon Canyon Park is a great place to go if you want to feel like you are getting away from Los Angeles. Or, for a challenging hike, a nice walk or a morning yoga class. Dogs love it, too. And, let’s not forget to mention the views – wow!
There are several entrances to the canyon, so make sure you visit Google Maps to find out which entrance is best for you. But, please remember to be courteous to the neighbors who live near Runyon Canyon. There can be lots of people at Runyon Canyon and parking is unpleasant, but if you are going for a hike anyway... My point is think responsibly and be respectful, so the park can remain a great place for Angeleno’s to go when they want to feel like they are getting away.
Sources: The Los Angeles Times, USC Library Archives
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