Griffith J. Griffith Gets a Makeover

Col. Griffith J. Griffith did more than just sport a pretty cool name (why have no cartoon characters been named after him?) -- he also donated 3,015 acres of land to the city -- which was used to form Griffith Park. (He also donated money to build the Greek Theatre and Griffith Observatory).

Here's a brief history of the Colonel -- including the fact that he's not a real colonel:

The "colonel" (evidence suggests the only military title he ever held was Major of Riflery Practice with the California National Guard) was a complicated man. He had towering virtues and cavernous faults.

Col. Griffith's likeness was added outside the Los Feliz Blvd./Riverside entrance to the park in 1996. It's now being renovated.



And here's how it looked prior to the scaffoldng: