Griffith Park in Los Angeles in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Site of the Old Los Angeles Zoo

Old Zoo Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker, January 1, 2019

1. Old Zoo Marker

Inscription. This Griffith Park canyon area served as the City’s Zoo from its founding in 1912 to 1965, when the Los Angeles Zoo moved to its current location about two miles north of where you are currently standing. Many of the walls, grottos, and other enclosures you see today were built in the 1930s by County Relief workers and Works Progress Administration (WPA) crews. Once, bears, lions, monkeys, macaws, goats, elephants, reptiles, and turtles, among others, lived here and the sounds of their growls, roars, calls, and clamor filled this canyon. Although these historic enclosures are no longer appropriate for housing animals, they can be home to memories of family visits to the Griffith Park Zoo, as well as an opportunity to better understand developments in the zoological sciences. Please enjoy and respect the buildings, walls, and habitats you will discover today.

Erected by City of Los Angeles.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Parks & Recreational Areas.

Location. 34° 8.013′ N, 118° 17.291′ W. Marker is in Los Angeles, California, in Los Angeles County. It is in Griffith Park. It can be reached from Griffith Park Drive west of Crystal Springs Drive. Located in Griffith

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Park, at the Old Zoo Picnic Area. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4801 Griffith Park Dr, Los Angeles CA 90027, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s Transverse Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Site of the Old Zoo (within shouting distance of this marker); Shane's Inspiration (approx. ¼ mile away); Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round (approx. ¼ mile away); The Feliz Family (approx. 0.4 miles away); Adobe of the Rancho Los Feliz (approx. 0.4 miles away); Amir’s Garden (approx. 0.7 miles away); 100 Years of Golf in Griffith Park (approx. 0.7 miles away); The Birth of The Curse (approx. ¾ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Los Angeles.

Old Zoo Enclosure and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker, January 1, 2019

2. Old Zoo Enclosure and Marker

Old Zoo Enclosures image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker, January 1, 2019

3. Old Zoo Enclosures

Photographed by Craig Baker, January 1, 2019

4. Old Zoo Enclosures

Credits. This page was last revised on February 26, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 1, 2019, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 4,453 times since then and 170 times this year. Last updated on January 2, 2019, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 1, 2019, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.