Vista Hermosa Natural Park | |
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Location | Echo Park, Los Angeles, California |
Coordinates | 34°03′42″N 118°15′25″W / 34.061720°N 118.257047°W |
Area | 10.5-acre (42,000 m2) |
Created | July 19, 2008 |
Operated by | Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority |
Status | open |
The Vista Hermosa Natural Park is an urban public park located in Echo Park, Los Angeles, immediately west of Civic Center, Los Angeles. Vista Hermosa Natural Park sits on a former oil field of 10.5 acres (4.2 ha), bounded by Toluca Street and West 1st Street, Los Angeles. [1] [2] During construction, the polluted topsoil was removed and replaced, and a ventilation system was installed to control the flow of dangerous gases. [3] The park includes walking trails, streams, meadows, oak savannahs, picnic grounds, a nature-themed playground, and a soccer field. [1]
The $15-million park was opened on July 19, 2008 and was the first to open in Downtown Los Angeles in over 100 years. [4] [5] The park is managed as a partnership among the Los Angeles Unified School District, the City of Los Angeles, and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA). [6] In 2023, the American Society of Landscape Architects gave the park The Landmark Award, praising it for providing recreational space to a working-class neighborhood generally lacking in parks. [7]