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Los Angeles has been so excited ever since a tiny, Japanese-inspired teahouse surfaced in Griffith Park this week. The artists behind the project say the city is threatening to tear it down, and in response a petition has gone up pleading for it to be saved.
The online petition has already garnered over 1,100 signatures. It's addressed to the L.A. Department of Recreation and Parks, City Councilman David Ryu, who represents Griffith Park in his district, Mayor Eric Garcetti, and former Councilman Tom LaBonge, who previously represented the district. The petition reads:
Art should not be destroyed and the tea house is a gift to the city, a "love letter" celebrating LA. It's a place for reflection and wishes. It breathes life back into things destroyed, made from reclaimed wood from the Griffith Park Fire. It's a gesture of peace and a celebration of the artists' love for Griffith Park. There should be tea houses this meaningful in every park in the world.
The anonymous artists behind the Griffith Park Teahouse tweeted out yesterday:
Nothing gold can stay. @LACityParks is talking about removing us from Griffith Park. Visit now if you can & share your experience.
— GriffithParkTeahouse (@GParkTeahouse) July 1, 2015
The L.A. Times reports that Ryu's office has no comment at this time because he was just sworn into office this week as councilman. LAist reached out to the Department of Recreation and Parks and Garcetti's office for comment, but have not yet heard back.
A parks department employee, who did not want to be named, told the Times that the department is "talking about taking it out." However, things might not seem too bleak, according to the Modern Hiker blog:
When I was there, I met a few Griffith Park employees who were inspecting the structure. I expected them to be gearing up to take the whole thing down, but they actually seemed fairly charmed by it. They noted the construction was good, was limited to the already existing concrete, and seemed to be an improvement. Gesturing toward a rock wall covered in spray paint directly across from the fire road, one said, “We’d definitely rather have something like this than graffiti like that.”
It's not clear if or when the teahouse will be taken down, so try to visit it while you can. We have directions on how to get there here. Godspeed.
