Echo Park Lake

Echo Park Lake. . , Established in 1892, Echo Park was designed by Joseph Henry Tomlinson, a landscape architect and Superintendant of the Department of Parks. Soon after its opening, the Park became a popular destination within Los Angeles for boating, picnics, and other recreational activities. , To accomodate the city's rapid population growth, a number of waterworks projects were undertaken in the late 1800's. Among these projects was Reservoir Number 4, completed in 1870. In response to Los Angeles' need for more public parks, this reservoir became Echo Park Lake in 1892. , Echo Park's landscape was designed in the picturesque style defined by open lawns, groves of trees, and winding pathways along the edge of its lake. , Echo Park got its name when its landscape architect heard an echo as he shouted across the arroyo where the Park is located. , The existing boathouse at the Lake's east side was constructed in 1932 with funding provided by unemployment relief bonds during the Great Depression. , The Lake's iconic fountain was installed as part of the city's hosting of the Olympic Games in 1984. , Echo Park was declared City of Los Angeles Cultural Monument Number 836 in 2006. Its park grounds and lake were nominated by the Echo Park Historical Society. , The Lady of the Lake statue (officially titled "Nuestra Reina de Los Angeles") was designed in 1934 by California-born artist Ada May Sharpless. She was awarded the project by the federal Works Progress Administration, a Depression era program that commissioned public art. Although relocated to an area near the boathouse in the 1990s the statue now stands at its original location on the peninsula.