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Griffith Observatory, Griffith Park, Los Angeles, CA, 1940

Subjects
Monuments & MemorialsPublic Parks & Commons
Card type
Linen
Date
c. 1940 (Linen)
Front of Griffith Observatory, Griffith Park, Los Angeles, CA, 1940, c. 1940 linen postcard
Front
Back of Griffith Observatory, Griffith Park, Los Angeles, CA, 1940, c. 1940 linen postcard
Back

About this postcard

The observatory's three copper domes and central entrance portico rise above lawns and flower beds in Griffith Park, with the tall Astronomers Monument standing in the foreground. The building opened in 1935 as a gift of Griffith J. Griffith and was designed by John C. Austin and Frederick M. Ashley. The caption uses the popular name Planetarium for the observatory. The Astronomers Monument, a Works Progress Administration project sculpted by six artists, honors Hipparchus, Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton, and Herschel. A note written in 1940 describes an evening there: a planetarium show, a lecture, and a night view down over Los Angeles.

Postcard Details

Message · English, in pen

Mar 13th '40 Dear Florence, We spent one evening at this Planetarium & saw them showed up the Planets & listened a lecture, its a beautiful sight to look down upon the city at night. Have us go again in the daytime, & could see the ocean, also Catalina Island (this on Hollywood Mt.) & so many of the Movie-stars have their homes built on the side of the Mt. Lots of love Lotta

PublisherWestern Publishing & Novelty Co.
LA-154—Planetarium, Griffith Park, Los Angeles, California Griffith Park Planetarium and Observatory is one of the newest and finest Planetariums in the United States. It is situated on a high peak in a setting of natural beauty with a commanding view of Los Angeles, Hollywood and the blue Pacific.
Addressed to

No address detected

Postcard record

PublisherWestern Publishing & Novelty Co.
Series9A-H2253
ConditionVery good
Place mentionedGriffith Park Planetarium and Observatory, Los Angeles, CA
PublisherWestern Publishing & Novelty Co., Los Angeles, CA
NotesLinen-textured stock with a cream border; production number 9A-H2253 printed at lower right; small blemish at upper left. No postmark. Handwritten date "Mar 13th 40" at left edge. Divided back, linen-textured "C.T. Art-Colortone", white border on front. Western Publishing & Novelty Co. imprint. Light edge wear.

Cite this card

Griffith Observatory, Griffith Park, Los Angeles, CA, 1940, postcard, c. 1940. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/griffith-observatory-griffith-park-los-angeles-ca-1940. Accessed November 2, 2026.