North Hollywood Park and Library
By: John Lee and Payton Suh
In the North Hollywood community near the school, there are many fun places to explore, like the North Hollywood Park. The address of the North Hollywood Park and Recreation Center is 11430 Chandler Boulevard, North Hollywood, CA 91601, which is 1.8 miles from the Science Academy. There are many features in this park that makes it a fun place to visit with your family and friends.
One of the features in the North Hollywood Recreation Center is it has an outdoor fitness section. This area has equipment pieces for push-ups and sit-ups, as well as bikes, ellipticals, twisters, etc. Because of all the equipment they have, you have a lower chance of getting bored. In addition, there is a large track where you can jog and run.
This park is usually not crowded, so you can have plenty of open room to play or exercise. You also can have picnics there and enjoy the sounds of the birds chirping, while eating a sandwich. Right next to the picnic area, you can see dogs roaming around. That’s because right next to it, there’s a dog park. This park has improved a lot since the past. There are also many areas to play soccer and many other sports that involve running, with lots of trees that provide shade even when it’s hot outside.
There is also a library next to the North Hollywood Recreation Center called the North Hollywood Amelia Earhart Regional Library. The address of this library is 5211 Tujunga Ave, North Hollywood, CA 91601. It is a one-story red brick building. Its sloped roof is made up of red tiles and 2 chimneys on the end. The roof is supported by a row of concrete columns and capitals leaning on a concrete wall. When you enter, there is a small lobby with decorative iron gates with Mexican-styled windows framed with antique green glass. In addition, they even have a fireplace.
The history of this library dates back to the early 1900s when books were borrowed and returned in a corner of the Lankershim post office. When the city’s name “Lankershim” changed to “North Hollywood” in 1927, the name of this Lankershim Branch changed into Sidney Lanier Branch. In 1956, architect John Landon renovated it, so that it almost tripled the library’s size. The branch changed its name to the North Hollywood Amelia M. Earhart Regional Branch in 1980. Amelia Mary Earhart was an American aviation pioneer and author, the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Even though she lived in Los Angeles less than 2 years before her death, this park honors her with her own statue and the library’s name. The statue is in front of the North Hollywood Amelia Earhart Regional Library, and down the street from another Earhart memorial at Valhalla Cemetery. The statue’s base is circled by 10 propellers halfway into the ground to honor her plane ́s actual resting place in the West Pacific.
The North Hollywood Amelia Earhart Regional Branch Library was designated an historic monument by Los Angeles in 1986. This historic building closed for repairs after the 1994 Northridge earthquake, and the library temporarily moved to MCA/Universal. The renovated building re-opened on April 17th, 1995. Within several years, because of the growth of the population in the area, the library had become crowded again. Architects and engineers expanded and restored the building, expanding the library facility to 15,150 square feet.
In conclusion, this park is very unique and interesting and has a great impact on the community of North Hollywood. Perhaps you can visit sometime after school or with your family and friends on the weekend.
Sources:
https://www.laparks.org/reccenter/north-hollywood
https://www.timeout.com/los-angeles/things-to-do/north-hollywood-recreation-center
https://abc7.com/society/first-self-cleaning-restrooms-in-la-unveiled-/5487281/
http://laplhistoricsites.org/noho.php
https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/21545
This is a picture of the North Hollywood Recreation Center Building. It hosts the indoor basketball court, where people can play basketball in or join the Basketball Clinic (Youth)/League (5 – 15).
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