Civic Philanthropy: Parks

This is part of a short series on Civic Philanthropy. For an introduction, please read my first post on the subject: How Can Cities Leverage Donations?

Traditionally, land grants were a great way for citizens proud of their city to contribute to the public well being. In the times when the wealthy owned huge swaths of ranch land around Los Angeles and elsewhere, they could turn this land over to the city, with stipulations that it be preserved as park space, museums, plazas, or for other public uses.

This was the case with Hancock Park, where the La Brea Tar Pits and LACMA now sit, as well as with Griffith Park. I wrote briefly about Hancock Park in my introduction to civic philanthropy, but Griffith Park has perhaps a more interesting backstory.

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