The Will Rogers Memorial Park is a public park in Beverly Hills, California.

Location

Shaped like a triangle, the park is surrounded by West

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in ...

, North Canon Drive and North Beverly Drive.Google Map
/ref>Sue McAllister
Pop Singer George Michael Arrested in Restroom of Beverly Hills Park
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The Los Angeles Times ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'', April 9, 1998 It is across the street (south side of Sunset) from the Beverly Hills Hotel.John M. Glionna
Beverly Hills Steps Up Patrols to Stop Cruising
''The Los Angeles Times'', May 29, 1998 It covers an area of .City of Beverly Hills: Will Rogers Memorial Park: City Landmark Assessment And Evaluation
/ref>City of Beverly Hills: City Parks: Will Rogers Memorial Park
/ref>

Overview

The park includes a pond with fish and turtles, and a fountain in the middle. It also includes lawns, rose gardens, tall palm trees, a dragon tree, winding asphalt paths, and men's and women's restrooms. It also features two bronze plaques about the history of the park, and a smaller plaque about the Beverly Hills Garden Club.

History

The park was constructed in 1912 and dedicated in 1915, becoming the first public park in Beverly Hills.Marc Wanamaker, ''Beverly Hills, 1930–2005'', Mount Pleasant, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 2006, p. 1

/ref> In 1932, some scenes of the film '' Pack Up Your Troubles'', featuring the double act

Laurel & Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). Starting their career as a duo in t ...

, were filmed in the park. It was called the Sunset Park until 1952, when it was renamed the Will Rogers Memorial Park in honor of Will Rogers, who served as the first Honorary Mayor of Beverly Hills from 1926 to 1928 and frequented the park often with his family. On May 18, 1957, a plaque was added to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Beverly Hills Garden Club. As explained on one of the historical plaques, the park was rededicated in 1997 and renovated in 2005. On April 7, 1998, singer George Michael was arrested for committing a "lewd act" by Marcelo Rodriguez, a plainclothes officer of the

Beverly Hills Police Department The Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) is the police department of the City of Beverly Hills, California. History The first law enforcement agency was formed shortly after the City of Beverly Hills was incorporated in 1914. The first city ...

, in the restrooms of the park.Entertainment: George Michael faces $10m lawsuit
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BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

'', September 14, 1999 The singer parodied the arrest in his video of '' Outside'', which led the police officer to sue him for US$10 million for "humiliation, mental anguish, emotional and physical distress" because of the video. In September 2014, the fountain was renamed the Margaret J. Anderson Fountain, in honor of the first owner of the Beverly Hills Hotel.FOUNTAIN—At the request of Cultural Heritage Commission Chair Maralee Beck, the Beverly Hills City Council has agreed to dedicate the existing fountain in Will Rogers Memorial Park
''The Beverly Hills Courier'' In October 2014, 160 Beverly Hills Centennial Roses, a type of floribunda rose registered for the city's centennial, were planted in the park.Victoria Talbot, 'Beverly Hills Centennial Rose Dedication This Sunday at Will Rogers Memorial Park', ''The Beverly Hills Courier'', October 3, 2014, Vol. XXXXVIIII, No. 39, p. 4 The dedication took place on October 5. The rose garden is the result of a donation from Dr. Keith Zary, a rose breeder.

Gallery

References

{{Reflist Cultural depictions of Will Rogers Parks in Beverly Hills, California Municipal parks in California Urban public parks 1915 establishments in California George Michael