Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California
Encyclopedia
Los Feliz, also Rancho Los Feliz ("Feliz Ranch") is an affluent
, hilly neighborhood in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles
, California
, named after its land grantee José Vicente Feliz.
It lies north of East Hollywood and just south of the Santa Monica Mountains
, adjacent to the neighborhoods of Hollywood and Silver Lake. Home to the southern face of Griffith Park
, the district includes the Griffith Observatory
and the Greek Theatre
. Los Feliz is bordered by Hollywood Boulevard to the south, Hyperion Avenue to the southeast, Griffith Park
to the north, the Los Angeles River
to the east, and Western Avenue
to the west. It is traversed by Los Feliz Boulevard.
The 6647 acres (27 km²) Rancho Los Feliz
, one of the first land grants in California, was granted to Corporal José Vicente Feliz. An old adobe
house built in the 1830s by his heirs still stands on Crystal Springs Drive in Griffith Park, named for Griffith J. Griffith
, who donated over half of the rancho to the city of Los Angeles, which became one of the largest city owned parks in the country. Other sections of the rancho were developed and became the communities of Los Feliz and Silver Lake.
rise just a few miles north and west of downtown Los Angeles. An oasis in a major metropolis, much of the park's land remains in its natural state. One of the earliest leaders and protectors of the pueblo received this land as a token of appreciation by the Spanish government. This area was once the 6647 acres (27 km²) Rancho Los Feliz, one of the first land grants in California, given to Corporal Jose Vicente Feliz. An old adobe house built in the 1830s by heirs of Feliz still stands in Griffith Park on Crystal Springs Drive.
Rancho Los Feliz had a succession of owners after the Feliz family. One owner, Colonel Griffith J. Griffith, donated over half of the ranch to the city of Los Angeles, which became one of the largest city owned parks in the country.
Long before the Spanish settlers arrived to settle near the banks of the Los Angeles River, Indians were the only inhabitants. The Indians established villages known as rancherias throughout the countryside. One of these settlements was located within the boundaries of what was to become Rancho Los Feliz. Archeological surveys have found evidence of a substantial rancheria that existed in the mouth of Fern Dell Canyon in Griffith Park. It is estimated that the Indians first came to this area approximately 10,000 years ago. The traditional name of this village is not known, but the inhabitants were Gabrielinos. This name was given by the Spanish because of the Indians' association with the San Gabriel Mission. When Gaspar de Portola traveled through the vicinity in 1769 his expedition encountered members of this village.
In 1882, Colonel Griffith Jenkins Griffith acquired 4071 acres (16 km²) of Rancho Los Feliz. The Lick estate still owned the southwest portion of the rancho and there developed the Lick Tract, which later became a part of Hollywood. Griffith never served in any branch of armed forces in the United States, but he was given a courtesy title of "Colonel" from influential friends in the California National Guard. The title remained a permanent fixture to his name.
Griffith died on July 6, 1919 at the age of 67. Griffith bequeathed $700,000 and his Los Feliz area to the city of Los Angeles to be used for additions to Griffith Park. The park's area was increased to over 4100 acres (17 km²). In 1930 the Greek Amphitheater was built as designed by Griffith himself. Funds from the Griffith estate were used to build an observatory at the peak of Mount Hollywood. In 1935 the Griffith Observatory and Planetarium was completed and opened to the public. Griffith's will also included a provision for a permanent endowment to maintain the theater and park grounds.
Mickey Mouse was "born" in Los Feliz—Walt Disney drew his first image of the now legendary character in the garage of his uncle's house which was located on Kingswell Avenue between Vermont and Rodney. Los Feliz was also home to many early movie studios, including Walt's first Disney studio on Kingswell Avenue just down the street from that uncle's house and east of Vermont (now a photocopy store) as well as the second larger Disney studio (now a Gelson's supermarket) and D. W. Griffith
's studio; it currently is home to The Prospect Studios
(formally known as First National-Warner Brothers and more recently ABC Television Center), at the intersection of Prospect Avenue and Talmadge Street. On Sunset Boulevard was Monogram Pictures (currently KCET
public television), where early Charlie Chan movies were filmed, as well as "Hurricane" starring Dorothy Lamour and the camp classic "Johnny Guitar
". (The western street from that movie remained until the mid 1980s when KCET razed the set to make way for a much-needed parking structure—but they threw a huge studio-wide party there on its final days.) The neighborhood has historically been home to movie stars, musicians, and the Hollywood elite. It boasts some of the best known residential architecture in the city, including two homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
: Ennis House
and the Hollyhock House
, and Richard Neutra
's Lovell House
.
which includes the local John Marshall High School. Private schools include the Lycée International de Los Angeles, a bilingual (French/English) school founded in 1978, and Immaculate Heart High School
, a private Catholic high school for girls, established in 1906.
Los Feliz Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library
is located in Los Feliz Village.
, Lawrence Tierney
, sundry working class drunks, poets, artists, writers and other creative types.
The Derby, at Hillhurst and Los Feliz, the last remaining location of the historic Brown Derby
chain, was featured in the movie Swingers
. It closed in 2009.
The Dresden Room on Vermont, also featured in the film Swingers
, has live entertainment by Marty and Elayne. (Marty and Elayne make brief, performing appearances in both Swingers
and the fourth-season Mr. Show
episode Rudy Will Await Your Foundation.)
is home to the Griffith Observatory
, Los Angeles Zoo
and the Greek Theatre
. It also contains various children's play areas, two 18 hole golf courses, a driving range and other sports fields as well as hiking and equestrian trails in the mountains away from the residential district. At Traveltown there is a miniature railroad operated by the Los Angeles Live Steamers and a collection of railroad
locomotive
s, passenger cars and streetcar
s.
, the new entrance to the California Adventure theme park at the Disneyland Resort
, is partly modeled after Los Feliz during the 1920s, when Walt Disney first arrived in Los Angeles. The area had special importance to Disney since his original animation studio was located here, before moving to the adjacent Silver Lake community, and then to the present location in Burbank
.
When completed, Buena Vista Street will include a retail location called Los Feliz Five and Dime.
Affluence in the United States
Affluence in the United States refers to an individual's or household's state of being in an economically favorable position in contrast to a given reference group...
, hilly neighborhood in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, named after its land grantee José Vicente Feliz.
It lies north of East Hollywood and just south of the Santa Monica Mountains
Santa Monica Mountains
The Santa Monica Mountains are a Transverse Range in Southern California, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean in the United States.-Geography:...
, adjacent to the neighborhoods of Hollywood and Silver Lake. Home to the southern face of Griffith Park
Griffith Park
Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America...
, the district includes the Griffith Observatory
Griffith Observatory
Griffith Observatory is in Los Angeles, California, United States. Sitting on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in L.A.'s Griffith Park, it commands a view of the Los Angeles Basin, including downtown Los Angeles to the southeast, Hollywood to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest...
and the Greek Theatre
Greek Theatre (Los Angeles)
The Greek Theatre is a 5,700-seat amphitheater, located at Griffith Park, in Los Angeles, California. It was built in 1929, opening on September 29 of that year...
. Los Feliz is bordered by Hollywood Boulevard to the south, Hyperion Avenue to the southeast, Griffith Park
Griffith Park
Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America...
to the north, the Los Angeles River
Los Angeles River
The Los Angeles River is a river that starts in the San Fernando Valley, in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains, and flows through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the western end of the San Fernando Valley, nearly southeast to its mouth in Long Beach...
to the east, and Western Avenue
Western Avenue (Los Angeles)
Western Avenue is a major four lane street slightly west of Downtown Los Angeles and the center portion of Los Angeles County. Besides Sepulveda Boulevard, it is one of the longest north/south streets in Los Angeles...
to the west. It is traversed by Los Feliz Boulevard.
The 6647 acres (27 km²) Rancho Los Feliz
Rancho Los Feliz
Rancho Los Feliz was a Spanish land concession in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1795 by Spanish Governor Pedro Fages to Jose Vicente Feliz. The land of the grant includes Los Feliz and Griffith Park, and was bounded on the east by the Los Angeles River.-History:Given to Jose...
, one of the first land grants in California, was granted to Corporal José Vicente Feliz. An old adobe
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
house built in the 1830s by his heirs still stands on Crystal Springs Drive in Griffith Park, named for Griffith J. Griffith
Griffith J. Griffith
Griffith Jenkins Griffith was a Welsh-American industrialist and philanthropist. After amassing a significant fortune from a mining syndicate in the 1880s, Griffith donated to the City of Los Angeles which became Griffith Park, and he bequeathed the money to build the park's Greek Theatre and...
, who donated over half of the rancho to the city of Los Angeles, which became one of the largest city owned parks in the country. Other sections of the rancho were developed and became the communities of Los Feliz and Silver Lake.
History
The rugged, chaparral covered mountains of Griffith ParkGriffith Park
Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America...
rise just a few miles north and west of downtown Los Angeles. An oasis in a major metropolis, much of the park's land remains in its natural state. One of the earliest leaders and protectors of the pueblo received this land as a token of appreciation by the Spanish government. This area was once the 6647 acres (27 km²) Rancho Los Feliz, one of the first land grants in California, given to Corporal Jose Vicente Feliz. An old adobe house built in the 1830s by heirs of Feliz still stands in Griffith Park on Crystal Springs Drive.
Rancho Los Feliz had a succession of owners after the Feliz family. One owner, Colonel Griffith J. Griffith, donated over half of the ranch to the city of Los Angeles, which became one of the largest city owned parks in the country.
Long before the Spanish settlers arrived to settle near the banks of the Los Angeles River, Indians were the only inhabitants. The Indians established villages known as rancherias throughout the countryside. One of these settlements was located within the boundaries of what was to become Rancho Los Feliz. Archeological surveys have found evidence of a substantial rancheria that existed in the mouth of Fern Dell Canyon in Griffith Park. It is estimated that the Indians first came to this area approximately 10,000 years ago. The traditional name of this village is not known, but the inhabitants were Gabrielinos. This name was given by the Spanish because of the Indians' association with the San Gabriel Mission. When Gaspar de Portola traveled through the vicinity in 1769 his expedition encountered members of this village.
In 1882, Colonel Griffith Jenkins Griffith acquired 4071 acres (16 km²) of Rancho Los Feliz. The Lick estate still owned the southwest portion of the rancho and there developed the Lick Tract, which later became a part of Hollywood. Griffith never served in any branch of armed forces in the United States, but he was given a courtesy title of "Colonel" from influential friends in the California National Guard. The title remained a permanent fixture to his name.
Mickey Mouse was "born" in Los Feliz—Walt Disney drew his first image of the now legendary character in the garage of his uncle's house which was located on Kingswell Avenue between Vermont and Rodney. Los Feliz was also home to many early movie studios, including Walt's first Disney studio on Kingswell Avenue just down the street from that uncle's house and east of Vermont (now a photocopy store) as well as the second larger Disney studio (now a Gelson's supermarket) and D. W. Griffith
D. W. Griffith
David Llewelyn Wark Griffith was a premier pioneering American film director. He is best known as the director of the controversial and groundbreaking 1915 film The Birth of a Nation and the subsequent film Intolerance .Griffith's film The Birth of a Nation made pioneering use of advanced camera...
's studio; it currently is home to The Prospect Studios
The Prospect Studios
The Prospect Studios is a lot containing several television studios located at 4151 Prospect Avenue in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, at the corner of Prospect and Talmadge Avenues , just east of Hollywood...
(formally known as First National-Warner Brothers and more recently ABC Television Center), at the intersection of Prospect Avenue and Talmadge Street. On Sunset Boulevard was Monogram Pictures (currently KCET
KCET
KCET, channel 28, is an independent, non-commercial public television station licensed to Los Angeles, California, USA. KCET's studio is located on West Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and its transmitter is atop Mount Wilson. Al Jerome is the current CEO and President, serving since 1996.KCET was...
public television), where early Charlie Chan movies were filmed, as well as "Hurricane" starring Dorothy Lamour and the camp classic "Johnny Guitar
Johnny Guitar
Johnny Guitar is a 1954 Republic Pictures Western film starring Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden, Mercedes McCambridge, and Scott Brady.The screenplay was based upon a novel by Roy Chanslor. Though credited to Philip Yordan, he was merely a front for the actual screenwriter, blacklistee Ben Maddow. ...
". (The western street from that movie remained until the mid 1980s when KCET razed the set to make way for a much-needed parking structure—but they threw a huge studio-wide party there on its final days.) The neighborhood has historically been home to movie stars, musicians, and the Hollywood elite. It boasts some of the best known residential architecture in the city, including two homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
: Ennis House
Ennis House
The Ennis House is a residential dwelling in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA, south of Griffith Park. The home was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Charles and Mabel Ennis in 1923, and built in 1924....
and the Hollyhock House
Hollyhock House
The Aline Barnsdall Hollyhock House is a building in the East Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, originally designed by Frank Lloyd Wright as a residence for oil heiress Aline Barnsdall, built in 1919–1921...
, and Richard Neutra
Richard Neutra
Richard Joseph Neutra is considered one of modernism's most important architects.- Biography :Neutra was born in Leopoldstadt, the 2nd district of Vienna, Austria Hungary, on April 8, 1892. He was born into both-Jewish wealthy family...
's Lovell House
Lovell House
The Lovell House or Lovell Health House is an International style modernist residence designed and built by Richard Neutra between 1927-29. The home, located at 4616 Dundee Drive in Los Angeles, California, was built for the physician and naturopath Philip Lovell...
.
May 2007 fire
- On May 8–9, 2007, about 800 acres (3.2 km²) of uninhabited terrain in Los Feliz and Griffith Park, including the famous Dante's View, were destroyed in a wildfire. In light of the event, Los Angeles city officials have pledged millions of dollars in aid to reconstruct the parts damaged by the fire over the coming years.
Crimes
- Leno La Bianca and Rosemary La Bianca were murdered by Charles MansonCharles MansonCharles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders carried out by members of the group at his instruction...
's followers on August 10, 1969 in their house located in the Los Feliz district.
- In the Los Feliz district on December 6, 1959, Dr. Harold N. Perelson who had been a prominent heart specialist, bludgeoned his wife Lillian Perelson to death and attacked his eighteen year old daughter, Judye. His daughter Judye managed to escape and ran over to a neighbors house and was taken to West Valley Community Hospital in Encino, California. The two younger children, Joel age thirteen, and Debbie age eleven, survived unharmed. However, during the mayhem, Debbie was awoken by all of the commotion and her father told her that she was having a nightmare and told her to go back to sleep. Later that night, the doctor committed suicide by ingesting acid or by some accounts, barbiturates. The younger Perelson children moved in with relatives that lived on the East coast. Investigators believed that the doctor committed murder and suicide due to financial troubles after discovering a note in Judye's sports car that she was going to mail to an aunt. However, speculation of another possible motive emerged regarding the doctor's violent actions. It was suspected that it might have been due to the possibility that his wife had him committed for mental problems and given the time period, would have brought shame upon the doctor. In 1960, the mansion was bought by a husband and wife. The married couple did not move into the mansion nor remove the Perelson's belongings that were left behind. They primarily used the mansion for storage purposes. The mansion is now owned by their son who refuses to sell the mansion and to this day, it is said that the interior of the mansion has not changed since the year 1959. This mansion is known by locals as the "Los Feliz Murder House". It is located on Glendower Place behind the Frank Lloyd Wright Ennis House. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedailymirror/2009/12/matt-weinstock-dec-7-1959.html
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, it is estimated that there were 40,573 people residing in the Griffith Park/Los Feliz area. The ethnic or racial makeup of the area was 70.54% non-Hispanic White, 3.77% Black or African American, 0.43% Native American, 8.61% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 2.37% from other races, and 6.45% from two or more races. 16.48% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The median income for a household in Los Feliz was approximately $52,104.Education
Residents in Los Feliz reside in the Los Angeles Unified School DistrictLos Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District is the largest public school system in California. It is the 2nd largest public school district in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population...
which includes the local John Marshall High School. Private schools include the Lycée International de Los Angeles, a bilingual (French/English) school founded in 1978, and Immaculate Heart High School
Immaculate Heart High School (Los Angeles)
Immaculate Heart High School is a Catholic, all-girl, college preparatory school located in the Los Feliz neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, at the intersection of Franklin Avenue and Western Avenue. There are 200 students in the middle school and 521 in the high school . It is located in...
, a private Catholic high school for girls, established in 1906.
Los Feliz Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library
Los Angeles Public Library
The Los Angeles Public Library system serves the residents of Los Angeles, California, United States. With over 6 million volumes, LAPL is one of the largest publicly funded library systems in the world. The system is overseen by a Board of Library Commissioners with five members appointed by the...
is located in Los Feliz Village.
Nightlife
Los Feliz village is home or in close proximity to numerous restaurants and bars. They are mostly located on Hillhurst between Los Feliz Boulevard and Prospect Avenue, and on Vermont between Franklin Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard. Some were classic dives in their hey-day, frequented by the likes of Charles BukowskiCharles Bukowski
Henry Charles Bukowski was an American poet, novelist and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural and economic ambience of his home city of Los Angeles...
, Lawrence Tierney
Lawrence Tierney
Lawrence Tierney was an American actor, known for his many screen portrayals of mobsters and hardened criminals, which mirrored his own frequent brushes with the law....
, sundry working class drunks, poets, artists, writers and other creative types.
The Derby, at Hillhurst and Los Feliz, the last remaining location of the historic Brown Derby
Brown Derby
The Brown Derby was the name of a chain of restaurants in Los Angeles, California. The first and most famous of these was shaped like a men's derby hat, an iconic image that became synonymous with the Golden Age of Hollywood....
chain, was featured in the movie Swingers
Swingers (1996 film)
Swingers is a 1996 comedy-drama film about the lives of single, unemployed actors living on the 'eastside' of Hollywood, California during the 1990s swing revival...
. It closed in 2009.
The Dresden Room on Vermont, also featured in the film Swingers
Swingers (1996 film)
Swingers is a 1996 comedy-drama film about the lives of single, unemployed actors living on the 'eastside' of Hollywood, California during the 1990s swing revival...
, has live entertainment by Marty and Elayne. (Marty and Elayne make brief, performing appearances in both Swingers
Swingers (1996 film)
Swingers is a 1996 comedy-drama film about the lives of single, unemployed actors living on the 'eastside' of Hollywood, California during the 1990s swing revival...
and the fourth-season Mr. Show
Mr. Show
Mr. Show with Bob and David is an American sketch comedy series featuring former Saturday Night Live writer/actor Bob Odenkirk and stand up comedian/actor David Cross...
episode Rudy Will Await Your Foundation.)
Recreation
Griffith ParkGriffith Park
Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America...
is home to the Griffith Observatory
Griffith Observatory
Griffith Observatory is in Los Angeles, California, United States. Sitting on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in L.A.'s Griffith Park, it commands a view of the Los Angeles Basin, including downtown Los Angeles to the southeast, Hollywood to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest...
, Los Angeles Zoo
Los Angeles Zoo
The Los Angeles Zoo , is a zoo founded in 1966 and located in Los Angeles, California. The City of Los Angeles owns the entire zoo, its land and facilities, and the animals...
and the Greek Theatre
Greek Theatre (Los Angeles)
The Greek Theatre is a 5,700-seat amphitheater, located at Griffith Park, in Los Angeles, California. It was built in 1929, opening on September 29 of that year...
. It also contains various children's play areas, two 18 hole golf courses, a driving range and other sports fields as well as hiking and equestrian trails in the mountains away from the residential district. At Traveltown there is a miniature railroad operated by the Los Angeles Live Steamers and a collection of railroad
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s, passenger cars and streetcar
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
s.
Disneyland incarnation
Buena Vista StreetBuena Vista Street
Formerly known as Walt Disney Plaza, Buena Vista Street is a themed "land" at Disney California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort . The central plaza represents Los Angeles in the 1920s, when Walt Disney first arrived in Los Angeles....
, the new entrance to the California Adventure theme park at the Disneyland Resort
Disneyland Resort
The Disneyland Resort is a recreational resort in Anaheim, California. The resort is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks and Resorts division and is home to two theme parks, three hotels and a shopping, dining, and entertainment area known as Downtown Disney.The area now...
, is partly modeled after Los Feliz during the 1920s, when Walt Disney first arrived in Los Angeles. The area had special importance to Disney since his original animation studio was located here, before moving to the adjacent Silver Lake community, and then to the present location in Burbank
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
.
When completed, Buena Vista Street will include a retail location called Los Feliz Five and Dime.
See also
- List of people from Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California
- Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in Hollywood and Los Feliz
- Robert M. AllanRobert M. AllanRobert M. Allan was a member of the City Council in Los Angeles, California, from 1921 to 1927.-Biography:Robert M. Allan was a member of the City Council in Los Angeles, California, from 1921 to 1927.-Biography:...
, City Council representative, 1925–27