Charles S. Farnsworth Park

Charles S. Farnsworth Park sits at the top of North Lake Avenue in Altadena, looking out over the Los Angeles skyline. It is named after General Charles S. Farnsworth, a retired veteran and local resident who in the 1930s encouraged using the land as a park.

In 1931 another Altadena resident, William D. Davies, organized a “Board of Control” of 23 local organizations to build and run a community building, and one board member, Mrs. Thunder, went to Washington, D.C., to lobby for federal money. The Depression-era Works Progress Administration supplied the labor, hiring unemployed local workers. The two-story stone building, named for Davies, was finished in 1934. From its place in the foothills, visitors can see downtown Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean.

The historic building now serves as a banquet hall and community room, and the park is used as a wedding venue. An outdoor amphitheater hosts concerts and plays.