Griffith Observatory

In May of 1931 the Griffith Trust and Los Angeles Park Commissioners selected architects John C. Austin and Frederick M. Ashley to oversee the final plans for the new observatory building. Austin and Ashley hired physicist Edward Kurth to direct the project with Russell W. Porter as consultant. The dedication and formal opening of Griffith Observatory took place amid much fanfare on May 14, 1935. On that day, the Griffith Trust transferred ownership of the building to the City of Los Angeles; the City's Department of Recreation and Parks (called the ?Department of Parks? at the time of the transfer) has operated the facility ever since. From the moment the Observatory was opened to the public, those who served as full-time and part-time staff worked daily to fulfill the original vision of the Griffith Observatory as an educational and inspirational resource for all of society. The Observatory closed in 2002 for renovations and expansion, and the design was led by architects Stephen Johnson of Pfeiffer Partners and Brenda Levin. It was reopened in 2006. Pfeiffer Partners oversaw the project and designed the new expansion, and Levin concentrated on the restoration.