Woodley Park (Los Angeles, California)
Encyclopedia
Woodley Park is a recreation area managed by the City of Los Angeles
and located at Victory Boulevard and Woodley Avenue. It is "a popular gathering area in the sprawling Sepulveda Basin, drawing regular crowds of model airplane, classic car
, and cricket
enthusiasts." The park is also the site of the Tillman Water Reclamation Plant
, which "includes a Japanese garden
popular for weddings."
On many weekends, Woodley Park hosts a number of games of cricket being played by expats of Britain and Commonwealth counties
, and British influenced countries, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the Caribbean.
The 1995 and 2002 U.S. national cricket championships were held at the park.
for open drug sales, until curtailed by increased police patrols, undercover operations, and surveillance by civilian volunteers.
It was also the scene of:
space, although the city did not allocate needed funds by the 1990s for construction of a fence that would allow for proper use.
City of Los Angeles
The City of Los Angeles was a streamlined passenger train that ran between Chicago, Illinois, and Los Angeles, California, via Omaha, Nebraska, and Ogden, Utah. Between Omaha and Los Angeles it ran on the Union Pacific Railroad; east of Omaha it ran on the Chicago and North Western Railway until...
and located at Victory Boulevard and Woodley Avenue. It is "a popular gathering area in the sprawling Sepulveda Basin, drawing regular crowds of model airplane, classic car
Classic car
A classic car is an older car; the exact meaning is variable. The Classic Car Club of America maintains that a car must be between 20 and 40 years old to be a classic, while cars over 45 years fall into the Antique Class.- Classic Car Club of America :...
, and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
enthusiasts." The park is also the site of the Tillman Water Reclamation Plant
Tillman Water Reclamation Plant
The Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant is a water reclamation plant located in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, Southern California, USA designed by California architect Anthony J Lumsden...
, which "includes a Japanese garden
The Japanese Garden
right|thumb|250px|rightThe Japanese Garden 6.5 acres is located on the grounds of the Tillman Water Reclamation Plant in Woodley Park, at 6100 Woodley Avenue, Van Nuys, California, USA, in the midst of the San Fernando Valley. It was designed by Dr. Koichi Kawana and constructed between 1980 and...
popular for weddings."
Cricket use
Woodley Park has five cricket grounds and draws many of the best cricket players in the Los Angeles area.On many weekends, Woodley Park hosts a number of games of cricket being played by expats of Britain and Commonwealth counties
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
, and British influenced countries, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the Caribbean.
The 1995 and 2002 U.S. national cricket championships were held at the park.
Other significant uses
Woodley Park's uses have included hosting:- a classic car show in 1990 that significantly outdrew a neighboring Earth DayEarth DayEarth Day is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. The name and concept of Earth Day was allegedly pioneered by John McConnell in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco. The first Proclamation of Earth Day was by San Francisco, the...
celebration
- weekly practice for a local bagpipingBagpipesBagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
troupe in the late 1980s
- training grounds for local archeryArcheryArchery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
clubs and archers who later became world and Olympic champions in the late 1990s and early 2000s
- an anti-abortion march launching site in 1989
- Boy Scout Jamboree for the western Los Angeles County Boy Scout Council in 1999
Crime
Woodley Park was the scene of major drug dealing in the mid 1980s and was considered a drug "supermarket" that was the most notorious spot in the San Fernando ValleySan Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
for open drug sales, until curtailed by increased police patrols, undercover operations, and surveillance by civilian volunteers.
It was also the scene of:
- the murder of a homeless man kicked to death by two dozen men after an argument in 1988
- shootings at two major public events in mid-1992, including at a reggae festival and, fatally, at an African-American college Greek organizationNational Pan-Hellenic CouncilThe National Pan-Hellenic Council is a collaborative organization of nine historically African American, international Greek lettered fraternities and sororities. The nine NPHC organizations are sometimes collectively referred to as the "Divine Nine"...
event..
Dog park
Approximately 1.5 acres of the park were set aside in the late 1980s as a dog parkDog park
A dog park is a facility set aside for dogs to exercise and play off-leash in a controlled environment under the supervision of their owners...
space, although the city did not allocate needed funds by the 1990s for construction of a fence that would allow for proper use.