The lake in Echo Park. In the foreground are lotus plants, in the background is the skyline of Downtown Los Angeles.

Echo Park is a district of Los Angeles located northwest of downtown. It is east and southeast of Silver Lake, south of the Elysian Valley , north of Westlake/Mac Arthur Park and southwest of Elysian Park. Echo Park is made up of the picturesque neighborhoods of Echo Park proper, Angelino Heights, Colton Hill, Edendale, Elysian Heights, Temple-Beaudry, Sunset Heights, and some would argue, Mayberry. Download high resolution version (1487x962, 355 KB)The skyline of downtown Los Angeles, California, seen from Echo Park, Los, Angeles, California. ... Download high resolution version (1487x962, 355 KB)The skyline of downtown Los Angeles, California, seen from Echo Park, Los, Angeles, California. ... Species Nelumbo lutea (American Lotus) Nelumbo nucifera (Sacred Lotus) Nelumbo is a genus of water flowers commonly known as lotus (Hindi: कमल) and the only genus in the family Nelumbonaceae. ... Skyline of downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. ... Nickname: Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: , State County Settled 1781 Incorporated April 4, 1850 Government  - Type Mayor-Council  - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa  - City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo  - Governing body City Council Area  - City  498. ... Skyline of downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. ... Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California. ... Typical scene on Riverside Drive Dorris Place Elementary Knightsbridge Theatre Elysian Valley is a small community of the City of Los Angeles, California. ... Alvarado Street, looking north from just southwest of the Wilshire Boulevard intersection. ... Located next to Chavez Ravine where Dodger Stadium is located Elysian Park is mostly a hillside community that is home to the Los Angeles Police Department Academy. ... Angelino Heights is a small quarter within the Echo Park district of Los Angeles, California . ... Edendale is a historical name for a district in Los Angeles, California, northwest of downtown, in what is known today as Echo Park and the eastern edge of Silver Lake. ... Elysian Heights is a neighborhood within [Echo Park]] in Los Angeles, California, in the United States. ...

Echo Park was named Edendale before the construction of the park itself; the local U.S. Post Office and one of the two local Los Angeles Public Library branches are still named Edendale. USPS and Usps redirect here. ... The Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) system serves the residents of Los Angeles, California. ...

History

Echo Park was the original center of the film industry in Los Angeles, before the studios moved to Hollywood just before World War I. Mack Sennett's studio was located in Echo Park until the end of the silent era, and a large number of silent comedies were shot in the neighborhood, as were several Laurel and Hardy, Charlie Chaplin, Our Gang, Ben Turpin, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Charley Chase, Chester Conklin, and Three Stooges shorts. Tom Mix also built his studio here, just over the hill in the Silverlake area, and many Westerns were shot in hills of Echo Park, East Silverlake and the Elysian Hills. Some of the earliest screen performers, including Gloria Swanson and Tom Mix bought homes in the Angelino Heights and surrounding neighborhoods before also moving to Hollywood and other areas. The area has continued to be used as a location for films such as Chinatown (film), Echo Park, Kentucky Fried Movie, Mi Vida Loca, Quinceanera and "Columbus Day (film)". The 1960s television series Gilligan's Island was shot in the area as well as scenes in Michael Jackson's 1982 music video Thriller, as were parts of the original 1953 film version, The War of the Worlds. The Manor, a house in the television series Charmed, is also located here. The area is popular with modern filmmakers for the pre-World War II look of some districts. “Hollywood” redirects here. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Mack Sennett (1880 - 1960) Mack Sennett (January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was an innovator of slapstick comedy in film. ... A silent film is a film which has no accompanying soundtrack. ... Laurel and Hardy, in a promotional still from their 1937 feature film Way Out West. ... “Charles Chaplin” redirects here. ... A poster for the 1931 Our Gang comedy Love Business featuring depictions of (from left to right): Pete the Pup, Jackie Cooper, and Norman Chubby Chaney. ... Ben Turpin (1869-1940) Ben Turpin (center) with two Mack Sennett Studios bathing beauties Ben Turpin (September 19, 1869 - July 1, 1940) was a comedian, best remembered for his work in silent films. ... Roscoe Conkling Arbuckle (1887-1933) in 1919 Roscoe Conkling Arbuckle (March 24, 1887 – June 29, 1933) was an American silent film comedian. ... Charley Chase (October 20, 1893-June 20, 1940) was an American comedian, screenwriter and film director, best known for his work in Hal Roach short film comedies. ... Chester Conklin, 1916 Chester Cooper Conklin (January 11, 1886 - October 11, 1971) was an American comedian and actor. ... The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the mid 20th century best known for their numerous short subject films. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Gloria Swanson (March 27, 1899 - April 4, 1983), was an Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe-winning American Hollywood actress. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Chinatown is a 1974 film directed by Roman Polanski featuring many elements of the film noir genre, particularly a multi-layered story that is part mystery and part psychological drama. ... The Kentucky Fried Movie is an American comedy film, released in 1977. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Quinceañera is a film written and directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... For the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) video game, see The Adventures of Gilligans Island. ... Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958), commonly known as MJ as well as the King of Pop, is an American musician, entertainer, and pop icon whose successful career and controversial personal life have been a part of pop culture for the last three decades. ... A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... This article is about the Thriller song. ... The War of the Worlds (also sometimes known as H.G. Wells The War of the Worlds) is a 1953 science fiction film produced by George Pál and directed by Byron Haskin from a script by Barré Lyndon based on the H. G. Wells novel of the same name. ... The Manor is a house in the village of Hemingford Grey, Cambridgeshire (formerly Huntingdonshire and then, briefly, Huntingdon and Peterborough). ... For other uses, see charm. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Before World War II Echo Park was a middle class neighborhood, nicknamed "Red Hill" for a concentration of political radicals living there [1]. Postwar flight to the suburbs resulted in Echo Park becoming overwhelmingly Latino; although other ethnic groups have always had a presence in the neighborhood. Many working-class Chinese immigrants have settled in Echo Park due to its proximity to Chinatown, and the area overlaps the Little Manila district of Los Angeles, home to thousands of Filipinos, and a small enclave of African-Americans has existed there, east of Alvarado St. and west of Bonnie Brae Street, since the 1920s. Renowned 70s beauty queen, actress and model, Veronica Porsche, third wife of boxer Muhammed Ali, came from this neighborhood. Since the early 1900's, Echo Park has been known to attract the creative, underground, independent, and iconoclastic elements of society. Famous artist residents have included such luminaries as writers Leo Politi, Carey McWilliams, and Ayn Rand; painters Carlos Almaraz and Philip Dike, famed muralist Kent Twitchell, and film art director Al Nozaki, creator of what is arguably the most famous, and certainly the most beautiful spaceship in science-fiction history, the Martian War Machine from The War of the Worlds; actors Anthony Quinn, Steve McQueen, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Webb, Ann Robinson, star of The War of the Worlds, and Charles Gemora, king of the Hollywood "gorilla men"; architect Richard Neutra and disciple Harwell Hamilton Harris; book seller and art dealer Jake Zeitlin; famed wood engraver Paul Landacre; opera singer Marilyn Horne, conductor Henry Lewis, and jazz great Art Pepper; film director John Huston; African-American playwright, poet and screenwriter Lemar Randle Fooks; Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lance Allan Ito, of O.J. Simpson trial fame (his mother was a kindergarten teacher for many years at Elysian Heights elementary school in Echo Park); as well as Edward Middleton Manigault, who organized the nation's first exhibition of modern art. The painter Jackson Pollock also made his home here as a child. The singer Elliott Smith lived in this neighborhood in the final years of his life [2]. For the Brazilian pop singer, see Latino (singer). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Veronica Porsche Ali (now Veronica Porsche Anderson) is best known for being the third wife of American boxer Muhammad Ali. ... Other people with this name: Muhammad Ali of Egypt, Mehemet Ali (Turkey) Muhammad Ali-Haj (born January 17, 1942 as Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. ... Leo Politi (1908–1996) was a U.S. artist and author who wrote and illustrated some 20 childrens books. ... Carey Mc Williams is the name of the following persons: Carey McWilliams (journalist) *1905 †1980 Carey McWilliams (marksman) *July 5, 1973 ... Ayn Rand (IPA: , February 2 [O.S. January 20] 1905 – March 6, 1982), born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum (Russian: ), was a Russian-born American novelist and philosopher,[1] known for creating a philosophy she named Objectivism and for writing the novels We the Living, The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged and the... Carlos Almaraz, December 1979 Carlos Almaraz (October 5, 1941-1989) was a Mexican-American artist and an early proponent of the Chicano street arts movement. ... Kent Twitchell (born 1942 in Lansing, Michigan) is an American painter most widely known for his murals. ... The War of the Worlds (also sometimes known as H.G. Wells The War of the Worlds) is a 1953 science fiction film produced by George Pál and directed by Byron Haskin from a script by Barré Lyndon based on the H. G. Wells novel of the same name. ... Anthony Quinn (April 21, 1915 Chihuahua, Mexico – June 3, 2001 Boston, Massachusetts) was a two-time Academy Award-winning Mexican-American actor, as well as a painter and writer. ... Steve McQueen (March 24, 1930 – November 7, 1980) was an Academy Award-nominated American movie actor, nicknamed The King of Cool.[1] He was one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s due to a popular anti-hero persona. ... Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (born November 11, 1974[1]) is a three-time Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe Award-winning American actor well known for his roles in blockbuster movies such as William Shakespeares Romeo + Juliet (1996), Titanic (1997), The Beach (2000), Catch Me If You Can (2002), Gangs... John Randolph Jack Webb (April 2, 1920 – December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, director, and writer who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet. ... Ann Robinson (b. ... The War of the Worlds (also sometimes known as H.G. Wells The War of the Worlds) is a 1953 science fiction film produced by George Pál and directed by Byron Haskin from a script by Barré Lyndon based on the H. G. Wells novel of the same name. ... Kaufman House, Palm Springs, California. ... Harwell Hamilton Harris was born in Redlands, California in 1903, Harris created a very personal Southern California architectural style that carefully modulated interior and exterior space. ... Paul Hambleton Landacre (9 July 1893, Columbus, Ohio-1963) was a groundbreaking American printmaker and engraver. ... Marilyn Horne The American opera singer Marilyn Horne (born January 16, 1934) is a mezzo soprano who is particularly associated with the music of Rossini and Handel. ... Henry Jay Lewis (October 16, 1932 – January 26, 1996) was an African-American double-bassist and orchestral conductor. ... Arthur Edward Pepper, Jr. ... John Marcellus Huston (August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director and actor. ... Lance Allan Ito (born August 2, 1950 in Los Angeles, California) is a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge who hears long cause and complex felony criminal cases at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center. ... Orenthal James Simpson (born July 9, 1947), commonly known as O. J. Simpson and also just by his initials O.J. and his nickname The Juice, is a retired American football player who achieved stardom at the collegiate and professional levels. ... Edward Middleton Manigault (1887 – 1922) was an American Modernist painter. ... Controversy swirls over the alleged sale of No. ... For the self-titled album, see Elliott Smith (album). ...

Elysian Heights Elementary school was home to "Room 8 the Cat [3]", arguably the most famous cat in America.

Echo Park was also home to Art Ingals, who in 1956 built the first Go-Kart in history in a store front on the 1900 block of Echo Park Blvd, and who started an industry that counts over 1 million competitive racers and several million weekend enthusiasts world-wide. Professional baseball player, Luis (Lou) Gomez, who had been an outstanding prep star at Belmont High School, played for the Minnesota Twins, the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Atlanta Braves during the 70s and 80s, resided here as well. Baseball immortal Babe Ruth himself maintained a bachelor's pad at the Crown Hill apartments in South Echo Park for much of the 20s and 30s. Jerry Rubin, famous American social activist and member of the Chicago Seven, lived here and ran a legal and civil rights office on the south-west corner of Echo Park Avenue and Sunset Blvd. for much of the 70s and 80s. In 1993, the movie Mi Vida Loca was filmed in Echo Park. This movie described the Latino gang culture in the neighborhood at the time. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Belmont High School may refer to: Belmont High School (Los Angeles) in Los Angeles, California [1] Belmont High School (Belmont, Massachusetts) in Belmont, Massachusetts Belmont High School (Mississippi) in Belmont, Mississippi [2] Belmont High School (New Hampshire) in Belmont, New Hampshire [3] Belmont High School (Ohio) in Dayton, Ohio Belmont... Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) Central Division (1994–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 3, 6, 14, 29, 34, 42 Name Minnesota Twins (1961–present) Washington Nationals/Senators (1901-1960) Other nicknames The Twinkies Ballpark Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 1982-present Metropolitan Stadium (1961-1981) Griffith Stadium (1911-1960... Major league affiliations American League (1977–present) East Division (1977–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 42 Name Toronto Blue Jays (1977–present) Other nicknames The Jays Ballpark Rogers Centre (1989–present) a. ... Major league affiliations National League (1876–present) East Division (1994–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 3, 21, 35, 41, 42, 44 Name Atlanta Braves (1966–present) Milwaukee Braves (1953-1965) Boston Braves (1941-1952) Boston Bees (1936-1940) Boston Braves (1912-1935) Boston Rustlers (1911) Boston Doves (1907-1910) Boston... This article is about the pitcher and outfielder. ... Jerry Rubin (July 14, 1938 – November 28, 1994) was a high-profile American social activist during the 1960s and 1970s. ... For the similarly named Chicago album, see Chicago VII. The Chicago Seven The Chicago Seven were seven (originally eight, when they were known as the Chicago Eight) defendants charged with conspiracy, inciting to riot and other charges related to violent protests that took place in Chicago, Illinois on the occasion... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

A pelican and the lotus flowers at Echo Park Lake, circa 1920.

The commercial district along Sunset Boulevard suffered greatly in the 1950s from the condemnation of the residences in nearby Chavez Ravine allegedly to make room for public housing, but in reality to be sold to Walter O'Malley as the location for Dodger Stadium for the sum of one dollar. The area in the immediate vicinity of the park itself became moderately beset by problems with drugs, gangs and hippies in the 1960s. During the 1960s and 70s, the area became known as a hippy enclave, and attracted many young musicians, artists, and craftspeople. Some residents during that era included J.D. Souther & Glenn Frey of the Eagles, Tom Waits, Jackson Browne, and Frank Zappa. The writer and poet Charles Bukowski was known to frequent the local dives, as did actor and Reservoir Dogs real-life tough-guy, Lawrence Tierney. The hilly northern part of the district that is adjacent to Elysian Park is called "Elysian Heights" and has always maintained a genteel character. Echo Park, Los Angeles, Old Postcard Small, 1920 This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Echo Park, Los Angeles, Old Postcard Small, 1920 This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Sunset Boulevard (officially known as West Sunset Boulevard, except in Beverly Hills) is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades. ... the first thing that was invented was the automatic DILDO. Education grew explosively because of a very strong demand for high school and college education. ... Dodger Stadium has been the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers Major League Baseball team since 1962. ... Dodger Stadium is a large outdoor baseball stadium in Los Angeles, California at Chávez Ravine. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... A gang is a group of individuals who share a common identity and, in current usage, engage in illegal activities. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... J.D. Souther, born John David Souther on November 3, 1945 in Detroit, Michigan and raised in Amarillo, Texas, is a singer-songwriter country rock singer and actor. ... Glenn Lewis Frey (born November 6, 1948 in Detroit, Michigan[1]) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as one of the founding members of rock band Eagles. ... “The Eagles” redirects here. ... Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. ... Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American rock music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist, whose introspective lyrics made him the poster boy of the Southern California confessional singer-songwriter movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. ... Frank Vincent Zappa[1] (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American composer, musician, and film director. ... “Bukowski” redirects here. ... For the video game based on the film, see Reservoir Dogs (video game). ... Lawrence Tierney in Born to Kill (1947) Lawrence Tierney (March 15, 1919 – (February 26, 2002) was an American actor. ...

In recent years the neighborhood has experienced a considerable amount of commercial and residential gentrification, attracting yuppies, gays, musicians, artists, young singles and entertainment industry workers, as well as a variety of new clubs, restaurants and retail storefronts along Sunset Boulevard and Echo Park Avenue. Mid Century Modern, Spanish Revival and Craftsman homes in the hills have attracted real estate developers, house flippers and trend setters. Echo Park has become the new center of an underground fashion scene with boutiques popping up all over Echo Park Ave. A new generation of young home buyers has moved into the area the past 5 years. Finding they had been priced out of the upscale neighborhoods of Silverlake, East Hollywood, the Hollywood Hills, Franklin Hills, and Los Feliz, they have flocked in droves to the still reasonably priced and picturesque green hills of Echo Park. There has been a certain deal of resentment on the part of the original longtime residents, a diverse mix of old hippies, 50s Reds, radicals and intellectuals, actors, craftsmen, Latinos, Filipinos, Greeks, Jazz musicians, city workers, retirees, bikers, surfers, Eastern European immigrants, and film and television workers, but as is the case in most demographic change and gentrification, that is, with property values increasing geometrically as more yuppies move in, many of the original homeowners and residents were turned into instant millionaires upon selling their properties. Many that have not benefited from gentrification, however, and have been priced out of their homes and communities by the white yuppie influx, a phenomenon documented in the movie Quinceanera, were the numerous families of Latino and Asian immigrant renters. As property values have increased across the border, many previous residents (overwhelmingly Latino) have been evicted from rental units in favor of settling yuppies (overwhelmingly White), creating a degree of wealth among previous home owners, which, for the most part, are Mexican, Cuban, Japanese, Filipino, German and Irish-Americans, but displacing the majority (if now dwindling) rental-unit dwelling population of mostly newly immigrated Latinos. [4]. The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Yuppies (young urban professionals, or less commonly young upwardly-mobile professionals[1]) is a market segment whose consumers are characterized as self-reliant, financially secure individualists. ... Quinceañera is a film written and directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland. ... For the Brazilian pop singer, see Latino (singer). ... This article is about the color. ...

In 1969, Keith Barbour recorded a song titled "Echo Park". In 1997, The Blue Stingrays recorded the album Surf-N-Burn, with a cut titled "Echo Park". In 1977, Linda Ronstadt recorded the Warren Zevon song "Carmelita" on the album Simple Dreams[5], wherein she mentions the Pioneer Chicken stand on Echo Park Boulevard. In 1980 Gary Numan mentions Echo Park in his single "I die: you die" and The Eels mention Echo Park in their 1996 album, Beautiful Freak. Ryan Cabrera wrote a song titled "Echo Park" that is part of his mainstream debut album, Take It All Away. The song "Who Would've Thought" by punk rock band Rancid off the album Life Won't Wait is about Echo Park, and the obscure Heavy Metal ballad "Echo Park, After Dark" was recorded by Alfred Corpuz and the Alleyheads in 1980. The Blue Stingrays were a late 1990s rock band that played surf rock, incorporating some country and western elements, with an overall Hawaiian atmosphere. ... Surf-N-Burn was a 1997 (see 1997 in music) surf-rock album by The Blue Stingrays. ... Linda Marie Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946 in Tucson, Arizona) is a popular vocalist with multiple Grammy Awards, numerous multi-platinum albums, an Emmy Award, a Tony Award nomination who has recorded over 30 studio albums and has made guest appearances on over 100 other albums. ... Eels (also sometimes eels or EELS, depending on the album) are an American rock band formed by singer/songwriter Mark Oliver Everett, better known as Mr. ... Beautiful Freak (1996) is the album by musician Mark Oliver Everett where he began using a full band and the name Eels (in an attempt to get the records in the same general location in the stores as his previous works under the name E). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Take It All Away was the debut major-label studio album from American pop music singer Ryan Cabrera, and was released in 2004. ...

Poetry and literature readings at various and sundry locations have been a staple of Echo Park and its residents since the early 1950s, with every culture and ethnicity well represented, and indeed, beginning in the late 1970s, the Temple Street Poets brought all these diverse groups together for spoken-word gatherings at the Travellers Café on Temple Street. Unfortunately, faced with attempts by Hollywood glitterati and west-side yuppies to infiltrate and co-opt the group, they disbanded by the middle 1980's. Spoken word readings, however, still continue in and around the neighborhood to this day. During the 1970s, the Travellers Cafe was frequented by Lawrence Tierney, Glen Frey ,Tom Waits, Kent Twitchell and Charles Bukowsky.

Attractions

Local attractions include the eponymous Echo Park, with a small lake which is said to contain the largest planting of lotuses outside Asia.

There is also a Cuban festival held on the birthday of Cuban poet and patriot José Martí, who has a statue in the park. José Julián Martí y Pérez was a leader of the Cuban independence movement from Spain and as well a renowned poet and writer. ...

Bordering the park are the cathedral of the Episcopalian diocese of Los Angeles and the famous Angelus Temple, a large Foursquare Gospel church built by Canadian-born Pentecostal evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson in 1923. This article is about the Episcopal Church in the United States. ... Angelus Temple Angelus Temple is the central house of worship of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel in the [[Echo Park]] district of Los Angeles, California. ... The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel is an evangelical Pentecostal Christian denomination. ... Aimee Stewart she was also the founder of the Foursquare Church. ... Year 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The first totally enclosed film stage and studio in history , Keystone Studios, built by Mack Sennett in 1912 on 1712 Glendale Blvd in the Edendale quarter of Echo Park, still exists in all its structural entirety, though now passes time as a public storage facility. Some of the studio's original auxiliary buildings are also still standing ( with modified facades) on both sides of Glendale Blvd. An obelisk monument and bronze plaque commemorating Sennett's studio was located for many years in the patio area behind one of the Bert-Co Paper Company's buildings on 1855 Glendale Boulevard, but was demolished in September of 2007 and the plaque stolen by vandals. The Keystone / Mack Sennett studios Keystone Studios was an early movie studio founded in Glendale, California in 1912 as the Keystone Pictures Studio by Mack Sennett with backing from Adam Kessel and Charles O. Bauman, owners of the New York Motion Picture Company. ... Mack Sennett (1880 - 1960) Mack Sennett (January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was an innovator of slapstick comedy in film. ...

Lotus Festival

Given the large amount of lotus leaves in the lake, the Echo Park is the site of the annual Lotus Festival, a pan-Asian celebration complete with Chinese dragon boat races. The event has been held since the late 1970s and it showcases a different Asian ethnicity (such as Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino, Bangladeshi, etc.) every year. It attracts Asian Americans as well as other local residents. A more specific term for dragon boat as a sport is dragon boat race, which is a team paddling sport on water, using very long and very narrow painted boats to which are attached decorative dragon heads and tails. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... An Asian American is a person of Asian ancestry or origin who was born in or is an immigrant to the United States. ...

The festival itself came under criticism by locals in 1979, when festival directors refused to let the local garage band, The Alleyheads, which consisted of Asians, Latinos, and whites, play at the festival, yet let several tame white and Asian "pop" groups approved by the city, perform. The community was outraged that the festival directors did not let the Alleyheads play in favor of out-of-town performers. The Alleyheads persisted for three more years , but each time were refused by the festival committee. Complaints mounted until the city and festival committee dropped their ban on rock bands in the middle 1980s, but ironically hired only all-white rock bands at first, none of which were indigenous to Echo Park itself. This situation has since changed , however, and the festival now showcases a wide range of diverse musical acts and performers that better mirror the demographics of the City of Los Angeles and Pacific region to which it belongs.

Echo Park was home to the Metropolitan Street Hockey League (MSHL) from 1971 until 1977, one of the first organized street hockey & roller hockey associations in the Los Angeles area, and which produced the Preston Avenue Sharks, winners of the Los Angeles street hockey City Championship in 1974, 1975 and 1976, the Atwater Open in 1974, the Melrose Open in 1975 and Echo Park Opens in 1973,1975 and 1976, the Echo Park Jets, which won the City Championship in 1977 and Echo Park Open in 1974, and the Stadium Way Rangers, winners of the Atwater Open in 1975, the Melrose Open in 1976, and the City Championship in 1973. Another team from the league, the Coronado Terrace Mustangs, won the Echo Park, Melrose and Atwater Opens in 1977, becoming the only "Triple Crown" winner in history , and in 1978, won the Echo Park Open as an independent/at-large entry.

Echo Park is and continues to be home of the world famous, Echo Park Ducks, originally formed in 1967 as a loosely organized social , sports & community activist club, and which attracted many of the hippies and free spirits of the area at the time. They were immortalized when Billy Shire began selling the now famous Echo Park Ducks T-Shirt out of his Sunset Blvd store in 1972.

Currently, Echo Park is home to many unique businesses, such as the Echo Park Film Center, Machine Project, Vlaze Media Networks, Inc. (vlaze.com), Epitaph Records, the Taix French restaurant, several boutiques, live music venues and art galleries, and an eclectic night-life, including the whimsical Midnight Ridazz, an after-dark bicycle rally where as many as 1000 people show up on the second Friday of each month for themed bicycle rides throughout the streets of Los Angeles. Each ride's theme is announced several days in advance through emails, Yahoo Groups, and flyers, the actual route being kept secret until the beginning of the ride. The cyclists meet at Echo Park at Sunset Boulevard at 9:30 p.m.

Emergency services

Fire service

Los Angeles Fire Department Station 20 is in the area. It has been suggested that Warner Lawrence be merged into this article or section. ...

Police service

Los Angeles Police Department operates the Rampart Community Police Station at 2710 West Temple Street, 99026, serving the neighborhood [6]. LAPD and L.A.P.D. redirect here. ...

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Echo Park is zoned to Los Angeles USD schools [7]. The Los Angeles Unified School District ( the LAUSD) is the largest (in terms of number of students) public school system in California and the second-largest in the United States. ...

Residents are zoned to Logan Street Elementary School, Mayberry Street Elementary School, Elysian Heights Elementary School, Plasencia Elemantary School Rosemont Avenue School and Union Avenue School.

Most residents are zoned to King Middle School and Belmont High School. King Middle School may refer to any of the following middle schools: Thomas Starr King Middle School of Los Angeles, California King Middle School of Portland, Maine King Middle School of Milton, Florida King Middle School of Portland, Oregon King Middle School of Atlanta, Georgia Categories: | ... Belmont Senior High School is a public high school located at 1575 West 2nd Street in Downtown Los Angeles. ...

Some residents choose John Marshall High School. John Marshall High School is a high school in Los Angeles, California, USA. Marshall, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. ...

Others get accepted to Downtown Magnets School which consists of 3 magnets: Fashion, Business, and Electronics.

Private schools

Our Lady of Loretto Elementary School, located at 258 North Union Avenue, is a private school of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles that has been located in the neighborhood since 1921. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles (Latin: Archidioecesis Angelorum in California) is a particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in the western region of the United States. ...

Public libraries

Los Angeles Public Library operates two branches in Echo Park: Echo Park Branch and Edendale Branch. The Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) system serves the residents of Los Angeles, California. ...

Notable residents

Shia LaBeouf grew up in Echo Park.
Elliott Smith died in Echo Park. Shia Saide LaBeouf[1] (pronounced SHY-uh luh-BUFF, IPA: [2]; born June 11, 1986) is a Daytime Emmy Award-winning[3] American actor and comedian. ... For the self-titled album, see Elliott Smith (album). ...

See also

• Quinceañera (film)
• Mi La Vida Loca (film)

Quinceañera (released in the UK as Echo Park, L.A.) is a film written and directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland. ...

External links

• Echo Park Chamber of Commerce
• Machine Project
• [8]
• [9]
• [10]
• Echo Park
• 2006 Cuban Festival, Echo Park photos
• Los Angeles Times, Real Estate section, Neighborly Advice column: "[Echo Park:]"It's absolutely evolutionary" (4 Dec 2005)
• Sonia Paulino, local photographer, documents the community
• Midnight Ridazz, largest after-dark bike rally in the USA
• Historic Echo Park
• OLL Alumni Website for alumni of Our Lady Of Loretto Elementary School in the Echo Park area
• OLL Alumni Blog page for alumni of Our Lady Of Loretto Elementary School nostalgia, history and interactive blog site
• War of the Worlds Movies.info
• The War of the Worlds at the Internet Movie Database
• The War of the Worlds Movie Site
• Making of the movie at site dedicated to all things War Of The Worlds
• Jenny Berman, "'Bohemian Los Angeles' by Daniel Hurewitz:: How The Rise Of Identity Politics Was Shaped By An Area Called Edendale

v • d • e City of Los Angeles
Topics	History · Transportation · Culture · Landmarks · Maps · Notable people · Mayors · Other elected officials
Regions	Downtown · Eastside · Harbor Area · Greater Hollywood · Westlake/Silver Lake/Los Feliz · San Fernando and Crescenta Valleys · South Los Angeles · Westside · Wilshire

v • d • e Areas north and west of downtown Los Angeles, California
Districts and neighborhoods	Angelino Heights · Echo Park · Elysian Park · Elysian Heights · Elysian Valley· Franklin Hills · Historic Filipinotown · Los Feliz · Pico-Union · Silver Lake · Sunset Junction · Westlake
Points of interest	Dodger Stadium · Griffith Park · MacArthur Park
See also	Glendale
Downtown · Eastside · Harbor Area · Greater Hollywood · Westlake & Silver Lake/Los Feliz · San Fernando and Crescenta Valleys · South Los Angeles · Westside · Wilshire