Griffith Observatory

Griffith Observatory
Griffith Observatory, September 2006
Location within Los Angeles
Former names	Griffith
General information
Architectural style	Greco-Roman and Art Deco
Location	Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California, United States
Coordinates	34°07′6″N 118°18′1.2″W / 34.11833°N 118.300333°W / 34.11833; -118.300333[1]
Elevation	1,135 ft (346 m)
Construction started	June 20, 1933 (1933-06-20)
Inaugurated	May 14, 1935 (1935-05-14)
Client	Griffith Trust
Design and construction
Architect(s)	John C. Austin Frederick M. Ashley
Website
GriffithObservatory.org
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument
Designated	November 17, 1976
Reference no.	168

Griffith Observatory is an observatory in Los Angeles, California, on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park. It commands a view of the Los Angeles Basin including Downtown Los Angeles to the southeast, Hollywood to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. The observatory is a popular tourist attraction with a close view of the Hollywood Sign and an extensive array of space and science-related displays. It is named after its benefactor, Griffith J. Griffith. Admission has been free since the observatory's opening in 1935, in accordance with the benefactor's will.

Over 7 million people have been able to view through the 12-inch (30.5 cm) Zeiss refractor since the observatory's 1935 opening; this is the most people to have viewed through any telescope.^[2] The space theme prevails in the interior.^[3]