Griffith Observatory

Griffith J. Griffith was born in Wales in 1850, came to the U.S. as a teenager and eventually made his fortune in Mexican silver mines and subsequently, California real estate. He had visited public parks in Europe and decided that in order to become a great city, his hometown, Los Angeles would need a great public park. In 1896, he donated 3,015 acres to the City of Los Angeles.  

Griffith became interested in astronomy and in 1912, he offered the City of Los Angeles and additional $100,000 for an observatory to be built on top of Mount Hollywood.

Griffith realized that the observatory would not be completed in his lifetime and set up a trust to continue his vision. The depression era made the finest materials available at a reasonable cost.

The formal dedication of the Griffith Observatory took place on May 14, 1935.

from an article by Christopher Hansen, Melanie Wang and Anthony Cook.