Lafayette Park (Los Angeles) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lafayette Park
Lafayette Park (left) in 1945; facing east.
Type	Urban park
Location	Los Angeles, California, United States
Area	35 acres (14 ha)
Created	1899
Operated by	City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks
Status	Open all year

Lafayette Recreation Center, also known as Lafayette Park, is a fun public park in the Westlake area of Los Angeles, California. It's a great place for sports, relaxing, and enjoying nature right in the city!

Park History: From Tar Pits to Green Space

In 1899, a kind person named Clara R. Shatto gave 35 acres of land to the City of Los Angeles. This land had natural tar seeps and oil wells. Clara Shatto asked for the land to be turned into a beautiful park for everyone to enjoy. She was the wife of George Shatto, who owned Santa Catalina Island at the time.

How Lafayette Park Got Its Name

At first, the park was called Sunset Park. Pretty Canary Island palm trees and jacaranda trees were planted there. Later, local groups wanted to change the name to honor Marquis de Lafayette. He was a brave military officer who helped America during the American Revolutionary War. In 1918, the park was officially renamed Lafayette Park. A statue of Marquis de Lafayette was put up in 1937 near the Wilshire Boulevard entrance.

New Buildings and Programs

Over the years, the park has grown and improved. In 1963, a senior center opened on the east side of the park. It was designed by architect Graham Latta. Later, another architect named Stephen Kanner helped make the center even better, adding more classrooms, community rooms, and a gym. In 2011, the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks teamed up with a group called Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA). Together, they started offering cool programs for young people. Because of these new additions, the whole complex was renamed the "Lafayette Park Recreation Center."

Sports and Fun at the Park

Lafayette Park is a fantastic spot for sports! It has several basketball courts where you can play with friends. These courts are so well-known that they even appeared in a movie! The 1992 sports comedy White Men Can't Jump filmed scenes there. The movie studio, 20th Century Fox, even helped fix up the courts for the film. The park also has a special area called the "Lafayette Skate Park" where you can practice your skateboarding tricks.

Cool Buildings Nearby

The area around Lafayette Park has many interesting and important buildings. Several of them are even listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are special places that are kept safe because of their history or unique design.

Some of these famous buildings include:

• The Sheraton Town-House
• The Felipe de Neve Branch Library
• Bullocks Wilshire

All of these were built in 1929. Close to the park, you can also see the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles. This church was finished in 1932 and looks like an old English castle. There's also a tall, modern glass building from 1972 that holds a branch of the Los Angeles Superior Court.

Lafayette Park is fenced and closed at night to keep it safe and clean. During the day, it's always open for everyone to enjoy!

Emergency Services

Police Service

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) helps keep the area around Lafayette Park safe. The police station that serves this area is called the Rampart Community Police Station. It used to be located nearby but has since moved to a new building at 1401 West 6th Street. Since 2009, Lafayette Park has been looked after by a newer police division called the Olympic Division, LAPD.

Images for kids

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  The New Rampart Police Station