Mike Eberts’ book Griffith Park: A Centennial History opens with a 1935 map of the Park, created by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Look closely — in the northeast quadrant is a small field that features a small biplane, hanger and runway referenced as the National Guard Airport.

An airfield? In Griffith Park? My interest is piqued!

This was my first realization that an airfield existed, at least briefly in this part of Griffith Park which has seen many realignments over the decades. Unfortunately, every single structure related to this airfield is long gone — swept away by time, by freeways and by the reconfiguration of the Park. It’s all vanished into thin air.

According to Eberts, Col. Griffith’s son Van had been bitten by the lure of the wide open skies and the burgeoning aviation industry in his youth, becoming “an accomplished glider pilot and balloonist.” Eventually Van veered toward the business side and in 1911, founded a magazine called Aviation which lasted a year.

Around this time, Van also became involved in the creation of a flying field on the Griffith Reservation — a property that remained under ownership of the Griffith family when the original land grant was gifted to the City in 1896. This particular area was perfectly suited to an airfield since it consisted of broad, flat land, unlike the steep, deep canyons of Griffith Park.

The newly constructed Griffith Park Aerodrome catered to early aviation pioneers like Glenn L. Martin who in 1912 established the Glenn L. Martin Co., and operated out of this location until 1916 when he left for the greener pastures of New Jersey. Martin’s departure from Los Angeles, left the airfield without sufficient resources and the field quickly fell into disrepair. In 1921, The City of Los Angeles purchased the Griffith Reservation property, making it an official part of Griffith Park. During this period several failed attempts were made to revive the airfield, and in 1924 the property was leased to the California National Guard, and used to train military pilots.

In 1929, the airfield lease was extended for an additional five years, but by now things were beginning to radically change. The land was now part of Griffith Park and Van Griffith was becoming increasingly disillusioned with the National Guard occupying this space. As a Park commissioner, Van had voted against reauthorizing the lease, although he was overruled by other committee members. By the early 1930s, he had became more vocal, commenting, “The temporary use of a part of Griffith Park granted to the California National Guard should be considered TEMPORARY in every sense of the word…”

At the same time, another situation was emerging — the National Guard airfield was interfering with approaches to Grand Central Air Terminal — a small commercial airport located in nearby Glendale. Both fields were using the same airspace and the possibility of mid-air collisions were increasing.

By 1939, the L.A. City Planning Division concluded that the National Guard field violated the original land grant terms, the airport was shuttered, and the National Guard’s 40th Air Corps Division was moved elsewhere. By 1959, the Glendale airport was also shuttered, and flights were moved to the larger Burbank Airport facility.

After WWII, the National Guard field became the site of Rodger Young Village, housing returning vets and families, due to a city-wide housing shortage. The Village closed in the mid-1950s and beginning in 1956, construction of the I-5 freeway consumed a large portion of the area. This was followed by construction of the 134 freeway in 1971 which consumed even more of the former National Guard field. The remainder of the area is now occupied by a portion of the LA Zoo parking lot, the Griffith Park Ferraro Soccer Fields, and the Griffith Park dog park, all sandwiched between two freeways, and the L.A. River.

Little remains of the fascinating aviation history in the Park

On the crest of the tall peak adjacent the I-5, a revolving beacon once warned pilots to steer clear of the steep hills and deep canyons of Griffith Park. All is completely gone. The peak — Beacon Hill as it’s called — still exists and the trail up and around is now used by hikers who may not know they’re walking on the last remnants of the storied aviation history in Griffith Park.

~­Kathryn Louyse, FoGP Board Member