Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

Arts and Entertainment

Here's A Petition To Save The Griffith Park Teahouse

TeaHouse16.jpg
Griffith Park Teahouse (Photo by Danny Jensen/LAist)
()

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

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:

Support for LAist comes from

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.

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist