Griffith Observatory Above Los Feliz: Its History and How to Plan a Visit

The Observatory began with one man, Griffith J. Griffith. He bought what remained of Rancho Los Feliz in 1882, and on December 16, 1896, he gave 3,015 acres to the City of Los Angeles to create Griffith Park.

In 1904 he looked through the 60-inch telescope at Mount Wilson, then the largest in the world. On December 12, 1912, he offered the city $100,000 to build an observatory on Mount Hollywood. When his health was failing in 1916, he wrote a will that left money for two projects: an observatory and a Greek theatre. Griffith died on July 6, 1919, and his estate paid for the building.

Planning started in the spring of 1930, when the Griffith Trust brought in astronomers and scientists to shape the design. In May 1931, architects John C. Austin and Frederick M. Ashley were chosen. A Long Beach earthquake in March 1933 led them to make the concrete walls thicker. Ground was broken on June 20, 1933.

The Observatory was dedicated and opened on May 14, 1935, and the Trust handed it to the City of Los Angeles. Its planetarium theater, 75 feet wide, was built around a Zeiss star projector, and the Observatory says it was the third planetarium finished in the United States. The public telescope chosen for the roof was a 12-inch Zeiss refractor.

The 1955 Warner Brothers film Rebel Without a Cause, starring James Dean, filmed scenes inside and outside the building. The Observatory says it was the first time a planetarium theater was used in a film.

A monument with a bust of James Dean now stands on the west side of the Observatory lawn. Dean asked Hollywood artist Kenneth Kendall to make the bust, and the Observatory notes that Kendall began it the night Dean was killed.

The Observatory closed in January 2002 for a renovation and expansion. Ground was broken on October 30, 2002, and the building reopened to the public in November 2006. The project cost $93 million.

Nearly 40,000 square feet of public space were added, mostly by digging under the front lawn and the west terrace. The additions include a 200-seat theater called the Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon, a multi-level exhibit gallery, a classroom, a cafe and a bookstore.

• The public telescopes. Including the 12-inch Zeiss refractor from 1935. Looking through them is free.
• The Samuel Oschin Planetarium. Live shows under the dome every day the building is open. Planetarium tickets cost extra, unlike the rest of the building.
• The exhibits. The original halls plus the multi-level gallery added in 2006.
• The Astronomers Monument. Dedicated in November 1934 and made by six sculptors under a Depression-era federal art program.
• The Rebel Without a Cause monument. The James Dean bust on the west side of the lawn.

The Observatory posts its daily programs and planetarium schedule on its own website, so check there before you go.

1. Check the hours first. The building is closed one day a week and the hours differ on weekdays and weekends. The Observatory's visit page has the current times.
2. Pick your way up. The LADOT DASH Observatory/Los Feliz bus runs daily from the Vermont/Sunset Metro station and stops on Hillhurst Avenue in Los Feliz Village, at the Greek Theatre and at the Observatory. The fare is low and exact change is needed. There is no parking at or near the Vermont/Sunset station, so plan to arrive there by train, bus or drop-off.
3. Or drive and pay to park. Paid parking is in the Observatory lot and along West Observatory Road and Western Canyon Road. The pay stations take credit cards only, and parking fees are not refunded.
4. Or hike. Trails start near the Greek Theatre and at Fern Dell, both with public parking near the trailheads. If you can manage up to a mile uphill, the Observatory notes you can park free around the Greek Theatre, except after 1 p.m. on concert evenings.
5. Leave food outside. Food and drinks are not allowed inside the building. The cafe is on site.
6. Stay into the evening. The building stays open into the evening, so there is time for the telescopes after dark.

• Arriving at sunset on a weekend and expecting a quick spot. The Observatory says weekends, summer, holidays and sunset are its busiest times. Come earlier or take the DASH.
• Forgetting the Greek Theatre schedule. Concerts at the Greek affect parking and the buses. The Observatory suggests checking the Greek's calendar before you visit.
• Relying on your phone. Cell signal is often weak near the Observatory. Set your meeting spot before you go.
• Getting picked up late. The inbound Griffith Park gates close at 10 p.m. A driver coming to get you needs to enter before then.
• Riding a bike up the wrong road. East Observatory Road is one-way downhill. Cyclists ride up West Observatory Road.

The Observatory is one stop in a full Los Feliz weekend. Our guide to free things to do in Los Feliz covers more of Griffith Park, and our history of the Vista Theatre on Sunset Drive covers the neighborhood's movie house. For this week's concerts, markets and community nights, see the Los Feliz events calendar, and if you host something nearby you can add your event for free.

Los Feliz Events is a free community calendar for Los Feliz, Los Angeles, from Rooster Homes™, the Los Angeles real estate brokerage led by Brandon S. Arlington and Sarah Arlington. If you are thinking about buying or selling a home in Los Feliz, you can contact Rooster Homes™. We are always glad to talk about the neighborhood.