Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) facts for kids
View from Griffith Park
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| Details | |
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| Established | March 1952 (parent company established in 1906 by Hubert L. Eaton) |
| Location |
Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Type | Public |
| Owned by | Forest Lawn |
| No. of graves | 146,969 |
Forest Lawn Memorial Park – Hollywood Hills is a famous cemetery and park in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles, California. It is one of six special parks created by the company Forest Lawn in Southern California. You can find it at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive.
Contents
History of Forest Lawn
The very first Forest Lawn park opened in Glendale in 1906. Six years later, a man named Dr. Hubert Eaton joined the company. He had a unique idea for cemeteries.
Hubert Eaton's Vision
Hubert Eaton believed that most cemeteries looked sad and plain. He wanted to create a place that felt joyful and hopeful, like "sunshine is to darkness." He promised to build a "great park" with tall trees, green lawns, and beautiful statues. He wanted it to be full of light, color, and history.
Building Hollywood Hills
Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills is the second oldest Forest Lawn property. Before it became a cemetery, the land was used for filming movies! Famous films like All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) and early Charlie Chaplin comedies were shot there. Even The Birth of a Nation (1915) was filmed on part of this land.
In 1950, Hubert Eaton began building the new cemetery. It opened for burials on March 4, 1952. The park was designed with curving roads and rolling hills to give it a peaceful, rural feel, even though it's in the middle of Los Angeles.
What You Can See There
Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills has many interesting sections.
Court of Liberty
The Court of Liberty celebrates American history.
- It has large statues of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
- You can see the Birth of Liberty mosaic. This huge mosaic is 162 feet (about 49 meters) long and 28 feet (about 8.5 meters) high. It's the biggest historical mosaic in the United States! It's made of ten million pieces of special glass and shows 25 scenes from early American history.
- There's a perfect copy of Boston's Old North Church. This is the historic church from the poem "Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Inside, you can find old documents and items from the colonial period.
- The Hall of Liberty American History Museum has a copy of the Liberty Bell and other exhibits. It also has a large auditorium.
- A beautiful marble and bronze monument honors America's first president, George Washington.
Lincoln Terrace
The Lincoln Terrace features a 16-foot (about 4.9 meters) tall bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln. He was America's 16th president. Next to the statue is a large mosaic that shows important moments from Lincoln's life.
Plaza of Mesoamerican Heritage
The Plaza of Mesoamerican Heritage used to display sculptures from ancient cultures of Mexico. These sculptures were made by Meliton Salas Rodriguez from Guadalajara, Mexico. He used hand tools to create detailed copies of art from civilizations like the Aztec, Maya, and Olmec. These artworks included a smooth Olmecan head and an amazing Aztec sun calendar.
This display has since been moved and is now kept in storage.
Famous People Buried Here
Many famous people are buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park – Hollywood Hills. A lot of them are from the entertainment industry.
See also
- Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
- List of cemeteries in the United States
- San Fernando Valley
- History of the San Fernando Valley
- Rancho Providencia
- Nestor Film Company
- Providencia Ranch
- Universal City
