Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)

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Coordinates: 34°08′57″N 118°19′31″W / 34.149193°N 118.325286°W / 34.149193; -118.325286

Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery is part of the Forest Lawn chain of Southern California cemeteries. It is at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, on the lower north slope at the far east end of the Santa Monica Mountains range that overlooks North Hollywood and Burbank in the San Fernando Valley from its southeast. The Los Angeles River courses from west to east immediately to the north.

Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills is a park dedicated to the preservation of American history, and hosts high-profile events such as an annual Veterans Day ceremony attended by dignitaries and other VIPs.

Contents

[edit] Features

The park features such sights as:

[edit] Court of Liberty

A section of the Birth of Liberty mosaic
  • The Court Of Liberty features statues of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and the Birth of Liberty mosaic. At 162 feet (49 m) long and 28 feet (8.5 m) high, Birth of Liberty is the largest historical mosaic in the United States. It has ten million pieces of Venetian glass and depicts twenty-five scenes from early America, from 1619-1787.
  • The Hall Of Liberty American History Museum has a copy of the Liberty Bell and other exhibits. The museum has a 1,200 seat auditorium.
  • Monument To Washington, a marble and bronze tribute to America's first president, created by sculptor Thomas Ball. Four of Washington's generals are honored in the memorial.

[edit] Lincoln Terrace

  • The Lincoln Terrace features a 16-foot (4.9 m) bronze statue of the 16th president by Augustus St. Gaudens, flanked by a panoramic mosaic depicting key scenes from Lincoln's life.

[edit] Plaza of Mesoamerican Heritage

A large Aztec calendar replica in the plaza
  • The Plaza of Mesoamerican Heritage has sculptures by Meliton Salas Rodriguez, of Guadalajara, Mexico. Salas used hand tools to first quarry, then worked the native Mexican stone into precisely scaled, detailed replicas of art works and artifacts that are representative of the Aztec, Huastec, Maya, Mixtec, Olmec, Teotihuacan, Toltec, Totonac and Zapotec civilizations that preceded modern Mexican culture. A smooth Olmecan head, an intricate Aztec sun calendar and a sinuous Teotihuacan bas relief are some of the sculptural features of the Plaza that are set off by crushed stone walkways and complemented by groupings of Mesoamerican plants. Nearby, the Museum of Mexican History offers free admission to visitors from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. daily.

[edit] History

The first Forest Lawn, in Glendale, was founded in 1917 by Dr. Hubert Eaton, a firm believer in a joyous life after death, who was convinced that most cemeteries were "unsightly, depressing stone yards," and pledged to create one that would reflect his optimistic beliefs, "as unlike other cemeteries as sunshine is unlike darkness." He envisioned Forest Lawn to be "a great park devoid of misshapen monuments and other signs of earthly death, but filled with towering trees, sweeping lawns, splashing fountains, beautiful statuary, and...memorial architecture"[citation needed]

Before it was a cemetery, Forest Lawn was a filming location used by directors such as Carl Laemmle and Cecil B. DeMille. The climactic battle scenes for D. W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation were filmed there. The alternate names of the filming site are Providencia Flats, Nestor Ranch, Oak Ranch, Oak Crest Ranch, Universal Ranch/Universal City, Lasky Ranch, and Paramount Ranch until November 1927.

[edit] List of notable people buried or entombed here

Interred or entombed in the Hollywood Hills cemetery are many famous people, particularly from the entertainment industry.

[edit] A

[edit] B

[edit] C

[edit] D

Bette Davis' tomb

[edit] E

[edit] F

[edit] G

[edit] H

[edit] I

[edit] J

  • Thomas Edward Jackson (1885-1967), stage, motion picture, and television actor
  • Tony Jay, actor
  • Kelly Johnson (1910–1990), aviation engineer
Note: For Michael Jackson (1958–2009), singer/songwriter, see Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale

[edit] K

[edit] L

Stan Laurel's grave, with the Birth of Liberty mosaic in background

[edit] M

[edit] N

[edit] O

[edit] P

[edit] Q-R

Lou Rawls's tomb
John Ritter's grave

[edit] S

[edit] T

[edit] U-V

[edit] W

[edit] X-Y

[edit] Z

[edit] See also

[edit] References

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 This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (August 2009)
  • Early Universal City‎ - by Robert S. Birchard
  • Newspaper articles, Motion Picture World articles, and San Fernando Valley Land companies postcards (advertisements) document the information.
  • D.W. Griffith (Birth of a Nation): David Horsley: Nestor Location Ranch: Carl Laemmle - Universal City 1912, and the transfer of ownership to Jesse L. Lasky.
  • Universal Archive Collection - Oak ranch
  • Universal Studios - 1915 tour brochure
  • Jerry L. Schneider: Collection
  • Motion Picture World: Articles
  • Hollywood Heritage News letter- Paramount Ranch
  • La Times Nov. 20, 1927 Paramount moves
  • Paramount Staff News Letter - 1927
  • Providencia Ranch Los Angeles Library: Digital Archives
  • California Historical Society: USC Digital Archive
  • The Studiotour Members: private family Digital Archives
  • Bison Archives - Mark Wanamaker collection
  • ebay - Lasky ranch photo collection
  • Online Archive of California
  • Archival Research Center: University of Southern California

[edit] External links

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