Echo Park is a neighborhood in the east-
central region of
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. Located to the northwest of
Downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...
, it is bordered by
Silver Lake to the west and
Chinatown
Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...
to the east. The culturally diverse neighborhood has become known for its trendy local businesses, as well as its popularity with artists, musicians and creatives. The neighborhood is centered on the eponymous
Echo Park Lake.
History
Edendale
Established in 1892, and long before ''Hollywood'' became synonymous with
the commercial film industry of the United States, the area of Echo Park known as Edendale was the center of filmmaking on the West Coast.
By the 1910s, several film studios were operating on Allesandro Avenue (now
Glendale Boulevard
Glendale Boulevard is a north–south street in Los Angeles. It starts off as Lucas Avenue at 7th Street west of Downtown Los Angeles, California.
Background
The name changes at Beverly Boulevard in Echo Park, north of the Hollywood Freeway ...
) along the Echo Park-Silverlake border, including the
Selig Polyscope Company
The Selig Polyscope Company was an American motion picture company that was founded in 1896 by William Selig in Chicago, Illinois. The company produced hundreds of early, widely distributed commercial moving pictures, including the first films ...
,
Mack Sennett
Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American producer, director, actor, and studio head who was known as the "King of Comedy" during his career.
Born in Danville, Quebec, he started acting i ...
's
Keystone Studios, the
Pathe West Coast Film Studio, and others.
Silent film stars who worked in the Edendale studios included
Fatty Arbuckle,
Harold Lloyd
Harold Clayton Lloyd Sr. (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many Silent film, silent comedy films.Obituary ''Variety'', March 10, 1971, page 55.
One of the most influent ...
,
Mabel Normand
Amabel Ethelreid Normand (November 9, 1893 – February 23, 1930), better known as Mabel Normand, was an American silent film actress, comedienne, director and screenwriter. She was a popular star and collaborator of Mack Sennett in their K ...
and
Gloria Swanson
Gloria Mae Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899April 4, 1983) was an American actress. She first achieved fame acting in dozens of silent films in the 1920s and was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, most famously for h ...
.
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...
's first film was made at Keystone Studios, as well as the very first feature-length comedy, which starred Chaplin and Normand.
The first
pie-in-the-face scene was filmed at what later became the
Mack Sennett
Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American producer, director, actor, and studio head who was known as the "King of Comedy" during his career.
Born in Danville, Quebec, he started acting i ...
Studios on Glendale Boulevard near Effie Street. The complex, which is now part of a storage facility, dates from 1909 and includes one of the area's first permanent sound stages, the factories where movies are made. The former studio, 1712 Glendale Boulevard, is City of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 256.
Echo Park Lake
Echo Park Lake was established in 1868, as a drinking water reservoir, filled with water from a ditch that connects to the
Los Angeles River
The Los Angeles River (), historically known as by the Tongva and the by the Spanish, is a major river in Los Angeles County, California. Its headwaters are in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains, and it flows nearly from Canoga Park ...
in
Los Feliz
LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to:
Science and technology
* Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation
* Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers
* Level of significance, a measure of statistical significanc ...
to the reservoir.
In 1891, the four owners of the surrounding area gave up of land around the reservoir to the city so that it could be used as a park. The city began work landscaping the park in October 1892.
City parks superintendent Joseph Henry Tomlinson chose the name because of echoes he heard during the construction of Echo Park Lake in 1892. By 1895, the park and accompanying boathouse were completed.
By the late 1910s, motion picture companies on Allesandro Street, now Glendale Boulevard, had been using the park as a filming location.
Echo Park Lake was identified as an impaired body of water in 2006, and the city allocated $64.7 million to fund its cleanup and revitalization.
In the summer of 2011, the lake was closed off and drained when the rehabilitation project began. The lake reopened on June 5, 2013, after a $45 million renovation.
Starting in November 2019, a growing population of homeless people began moving into the lake grounds. The encampment included nearly 200 homeless tents, and four homeless individuals died at the park in 2020.
On March 25, 2021, the park was closed for renovations and cleared of the homeless encampments. While closure notices were posted throughout the park days before the sweep, over 200 protesters clashed with LAPD, who arrested 179 protesters. The encampment and ensuing incident became a major flashpoint in LA's homelessness crisis.
Of the 183 homeless individuals living at Echo Park Lake, only 17 had successfully transitioned into permanent housing . In February 2023, councilmember
Hugo Soto-Martinez announced plans to remove the fence that encircles the lake. The plans became divisive within the community, many of whom have advocated for the fence to remain, amid the ongoing homelessness crisis.
The fence surrounding the lake was removed May 30, 2023 by the city.
Transportation
Glendale Freeway termination
The
Glendale Freeway (
SR 2) was originally planned and constructed in 1959 to connect with the
Hollywood Freeway
The Hollywood Freeway is one of the principal freeways of Los Angeles, California (the boundaries of which it does not leave) and one of the busiest in the United States. It is the principal route through the Cahuenga Pass, the primary shortc ...
(US-101) through the neighborhoods of Silver Lake and Echo Park, but terminates roughly northeast of its intended terminus at the Hollywood Freeway due to opposition from residents living and developers building on a hill that is now a private gated community called Hathaway Estates.
In 1962, as a result of this local community opposition, the full build-out plan was rescinded and construction was terminated at the present SR-2 terminus near Glendale Boulevard and Duane Street. Since then, commuter traffic exiting and entering on to SR-2 has passed through the community, primarily along Glendale Boulevard and Alvarado Street, which has contributed to congestion. Since that plan was scrapped, the freeway has been somewhat isolated from the remainder of the Los Angeles freeway system. There have been proposals to turn the freeway stub into a sort of public park.
Pacific Electric Railway
The
Pacific Electric Railway, better known as the Red Cars, used to run through Echo Park along the center of Glendale Boulevard. The citywide system of electric trolleys began with the dawn of the 20th century, ultimately spinning a web of rail that linked cities in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. It was the largest and most advanced public transit system in the world at the time.
The Red Car system was sold to Metropolitan Coach Lines, whose executive, Jesse Haugh, had connections to a public transportation company funded by General Motors and other auto-related industries. The Red Cars faded out of service not long afterwards, with the
Los Angeles-Glendale-Burbank Line that traveled through Echo Park officially ending service on June 19, 1955.
Gangs
Echo Park was once infamous as a hot spot for gang activity. This was true in the 1980s and 1990s, but in the early 2010s as the neighborhood began gentrifying, rents started to skyrocket, and a controversial
gang injunction forced gang members to move outside their turf, instances of gang violence waned.
In 2013, a Los Angeles judge signed off on a permanent gang injunction aimed at six rival gangs in the Echo Park area, creating what authorities call a "safety zone" for the area. The injunction targets the members of six gangs, namely Echo Park Locos, the Crazys, the Big Top Locos, the Diamond Street Locos, Frogtown Rifa, and Head Hunters. The perimeter for the safety zone is roughly bound by the
Los Angeles River
The Los Angeles River (), historically known as by the Tongva and the by the Spanish, is a major river in Los Angeles County, California. Its headwaters are in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains, and it flows nearly from Canoga Park ...
to the north, the
110 Freeway to the east,
Beverly Boulevard
Beverly Boulevard is one of the main east–west thoroughfares in Los Angeles, in the U.S. state of California. It begins off Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California, Beverly Hills and ends on the Lucas Avenue overpass near downtow ...
to south and
Glendale Boulevard
Glendale Boulevard is a north–south street in Los Angeles. It starts off as Lucas Avenue at 7th Street west of Downtown Los Angeles, California.
Background
The name changes at Beverly Boulevard in Echo Park, north of the Hollywood Freeway ...
to the west. It includes Echo Park Lake and
Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium is a ballpark in the Elysian Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Opened in 1962, it was constructed in less than three years at a ...
.
The injunction, a civil order, prohibits two or more listed gang members from associating in any way in public or in common areas like courtyards. It also allows for stricter penalties if any listed gang member is caught with drugs, alcohol, guns or vandalizing property.
Geography
Echo Park has many rolling hills and valleys with a few flat areas like
Echo Park Lake. Its main commercial corridors are Sunset and Glendale boulevards.
Location
According to the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' "Mapping L.A." project, Echo Park is in
Central Los Angeles, between
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood ...
and
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the central business district of the city of Los Angeles. It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents ...
. It is situated near
the 101,
the 2, and
the 5 freeways. Echo Park is flanked by
Elysian Valley to the north and northeast,
Elysian Park to the east,
Chinatown
Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...
and
Downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...
to the southeast,
Westlake to the southwest and west, and
Silver Lake to the northwest.
Boundaries are the
Golden State Freeway–
Glendale Freeway interchange at the north apex, Riverside Drive on the northeast,
Elysian Park neighborhood on the east, Stadium Way and Beaudry Avenue on the southeast, the south apex being Beaudry Avenue and West Second Street and the west limit being an irregular line consisting of Second Street and Beverly Boulevard, then moving upward north along Benton Way and the Glendale Freeway.
[Thomas Guide, Los Angeles County, 2004, pages 594 and 634]
Climate
Being in the central part of
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, Echo Park experiences a hot-summer
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...
(Csa). Temperatures here are almost identical to that of
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the central business district of the city of Los Angeles. It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents ...
.
Districts
Within Echo Park are the following:
Angelino Heights
Angelino Heights is most notable for its
Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...
residences, although these are few in number. It lies at an elevation of .
Elysian Heights
Since the 1910s, Elysian Heights, along with
Edendale, has been home to many of the counter-culture, political radicals, artists, writers, architects and filmmakers. The children of many progressives attended school there during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s.
Population
2000
The 2000 U.S. census counted 40,455 residents in the neighborhood—an average of 16,868 people per square mile, one of the highest densities in Los Angeles and among the highest densities for the county. In 2008 the city estimated that the population had increased to 43,832. The median age for residents was 30, about the same as the city norm.
Echo Park was considered moderately diverse ethnically. The breakdown was
Latinos
Hispanic and Latino Americans are Americans who have a Spanish or Latin American background, culture, or family origin. This demographic group includes all Americans who identify as Hispanic or Latino, regardless of race. According to th ...
, 64%;
Asians, 18.8%;
whites
White is a racial classification of people generally used for those of predominantly European ancestry. It is also a skin color specifier, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, ethnicity and point of view.
De ...
, 12.9%;
blacks, 2%; and others, 2.3%. Mexico (41.3%) and El Salvador (15.2%) were the most common places of birth for the 53% of the residents who were born abroad, a figure that was considered high compared to the city as a whole.
2008
The median household income in 2008 dollars was $37,708, a low figure for Los Angeles, and a high percentage of households earned $20,000 or less. The average household size of three people was about the same as the rest of the city. Renters occupied 76% of the housing units, and house- or apartment owners the rest.
The percentages of never-married men and women, 46.8% and 38.3%, respectively, were among the county's highest. The 2000 census found 5,325 families headed by single parents, a high rate for both the city and the county. There were 1,034 military veterans in 2000, or 3.5%, a low figure for Los Angeles.
2010
Census data below for is cited from only US Census District 1974.20. It does not include a large portion of Echo Park.
The 2010 US Census estimates that the neighborhood demographics for tract 1974.20 are as follows: Latinos still form the majority of the community, though the percentage fell from 69.8% in 2000 to 59.5% in 2010; Whites grew from 13.2% in 2000 to 23.2% in 2010; Asian population remained almost unchanged at 13.3% in 2010 compared to 13.2% in 2000; Other grew from 3.4% in 2000 to 4% in 2010. The number of people in the district shrank by almost 15% to around 3,500 people. This represents less than 10% of the number of residents considered to live in Echo Park. The demographic shift from Latino to White is generally acknowledged as the overall trend in the area.
Parks and recreation
Parks
Elysian Park
Elysian Park is one of the largest parks in Los Angeles at . It is also the city's oldest park, founded in 1886 by the Elysian Park Enabling Ordinance. Most of Elysian Park falls in the Eastern neighborhood of the same name, but a small portion of the park does fall in Echo Park.
* Angels Point, a small hill in Elysian Park overlooking
Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium is a ballpark in the Elysian Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Opened in 1962, it was constructed in less than three years at a ...
and the Downtown Los Angeles Skyline. Atop the hill is a large metal sculpture art installation by local artist
Peter Shire of the 1980s postmodern
Memphis Group.
*
Chavez Ravine Arboretum, opened in 1893 and contains more than 100 varieties of trees from around the world, including what are believed to be the oldest and largest Cape Chestnut, Kauri, and Tipu trees in the United States.
*
Grace E. Simons Lodge, an event space with waterfalls and reception rooms.
* Marion Harlow Memorial Grove is a small tree and plant grove along the Elysian Park hiking trail.
Echo Park Lake
Echo Park Lake provides recreational features and wildlife habitat, including wetlands. Echo Park Lake hosts community events, such as the annual Lotus Festival every July.
* Echo Park boathouse restaurant and more than a dozen swan shaped paddle boats
* Picnic tables, BBQ pits, public restrooms, water fountains, and grassy picnic areas
* 1-mile long looping promenade paved walking trail around the lake
Vista Hermosa Natural Park
Vista Hermosa Natural Park is a urban natural park that features walking trails, streams, meadows, oak savannahs, picnic grounds, sweeping views of
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the central business district of the city of Los Angeles. It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents ...
skyline, and a nature-themed playground amid native Mediterranean vegetation.
Sports facilities
* Chavez Ridge Disc Golf Course (in Elysian Park)
* Echo Park Deep Pool (indoor pool)
* Echo Park Recreation Complex
**Facility Features: Baseball Diamond (Lighted), Basketball Courts (Lighted / Indoor), Basketball Courts (Lighted / Outdoor), Children's Play Area, Community Rooms, 6 Tennis Courts (Lighted), Stage, Picnic Tables, Indoor Gym (without Weights), Skate park (opening in 2020)
* Echo Park Youth Center
* Elysian Fields (2 baseball diamonds in Elysian Park)
* Elysian Park Adaptive Recreation Center (in Elysian Park)
**Facility Features: Basketball Courts (Unlighted / Outdoor), Children's Play Area, Indoor Gym (with Weights), Amphitheatre, Indoor Gym (without Weights), Classroom(s), Stage
* Vista Hermosa Synthetic Soccer Field (lighted)
Government and infrastructure
Local government
Echo Park is split between
Los Angeles's 13th City Council district under Councilmember
Hugo Soto-Martinez and
Los Angeles's 1st City Council district under Councilmember
Eunisses Hernandez.
The
Los Angeles Fire Department
The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD or LA City Fire) provides firefighting services and technical rescue services, hazardous materials services, and emergency medical services to the residents of the city of Los Angeles, California, United ...
Station 20 is in the area.
The
Los Angeles Police Department
The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...
(LAPD) operates the
Rampart Community Police Station at 1401 West 6th St., 90017, located near Echo Park in the Westlake district of east-central Los Angeles. LAPD also operates an LAPD Police Academy training facility Including a weapons firing range in Elysian Park adjacent to Dodger Stadium.
County, state, and federal representation
Echo Park sits in the following governmental districts:
* 1st County District of Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, under Supervisor
Hilda Solis
* 24th State Senate District, under California State Senator
Maria Elena Durazo
* 52nd State District of the California State Assembly, under California State Assemblymember
Jessica Caloza
* 30th Federal Congressional District, under Representative
Laura Friedman
The
Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
Health Services Los Angeles County, officially the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, operates the public hospitals and clinics in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County and is the United States' second largest municip ...
operates the Central Health Center in
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the central business district of the city of Los Angeles. It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents ...
, serving Echo Park.
The
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...
Edendale Post Office is located at 1525 North Alvarado Street.
Public libraries

The
Los Angeles Public Library operates two branches in Echo Park: Echo Park Branch and Edendale Branch.
Education
Echo Park is part of the
Los Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is a State school, public school district in Los Angeles County, California, United States of America. It is the largest public school system in California in terms of number of students and the List ...
. It is home to ten schools, including the famous home of a cat named
Room 8.
Public schools
* Elysian Heights Elementary School, 1562 Baxter Street
* Clifford Street Elementary School, 2150 Duane Street
* Mayberry Street Elementary School, 2414 Mayberry Street
*
Gabriella Charter School, 1435 Logan Street
* Logan Street Span School, 1711 W Montana Street
* Rosemont Elementary School, 421 N Rosemont Avenue
* Betty Plasencia Elementary School, 1321 Cortez Street
Private schools
* Baxter Montessori, 2101 N Echo Park Avenue
* DC Academy, 626 Coronado Terrace
* Golden West Christian Preschool, 1310 Liberty Street
Entertainment and nightlife
The trendy Echo Park area, known for its
nightlife
Nightlife is a collective term for entertainment that is available and generally more popular from the late evening into the early hours of the morning. It includes pubs, bars, nightclubs, parties, live music, concerts, cabarets, theatre, ...
and as one of "the city's
hippest neighborhoods", has many bars,
nightclub
A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...
s, and restaurants.
[Andrew Khoury, "In Urban L.A., Developers Are Building Trendy Homes on Tiny Lots"]
''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'', July 13, 2013 The sprawling historic
Taix French restaurant (originally known as Les Freres Taix) has been a landmark in the community since moving to 1911 Sunset Boulevard from downtown Los Angeles in 1964. The 321 Lounge cocktail bar inside the restaurant has hosted live music and comedy for many years and is a longtime destination for
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
fans to congregate before or after a baseball game. In the third annual New York Times Restaurant List, of the five California restaurants featured, two are based in Echo Park: the Korean-inspired Perilla LA and the pizzeria Quarter Sheets.
Notable people
*
Veronica Porché Ali, psychologist and former wife of boxer
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...
*
Carlos Almaraz, artist
*
Austin Amelio, actor
*
Conor Oberst
Conor Mullen Oberst (born February 15, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter best known for his work in Bright Eyes (band), Bright Eyes. He has also played in several other bands, including Desaparecidos (band), Desaparecidos, the Faint (previou ...
, musician
*
Allison Anders
Allison Anders (born November 16, 1954) is an American independent film director whose films include '' Gas Food Lodging'', '' Mi Vida Loca'' and '' Grace of My Heart''. Anders has collaborated with fellow UCLA School of Theater, Film and Telev ...
, film and television director
*
Tom Bradley, politician, athlete, police officer, and lawyer who served as the 38th Mayor of Los Angeles from 1973 to 1993
*
Jackson Browne
Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American rock musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 30 million albums in the United States.
Emerging as a teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he had his ...
, musician
*
Anna Camp, actress
*
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...
, actor, comedian, composer, writer, film director
*
Frances Conroy
Frances Hardman Conroy (born March 15, 1953) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Ruth Fisher on the television series '' Six Feet Under'' (2001–2005), for which she won a Golden Globe and three Screen Actors Guild Awards, a ...
, actress
*
Alice Cooper
Vincent Damon Furnier (born February 4, 1948), known by his stage name Alice Cooper, is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusion ...
, musician
*
Jeffrey Davies, musician
*
Lana Del Rey
Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Lana Del Rey discography, Her music is noted for its melancholic exploration of Glamour (presentation), glamor and Romanc ...
, musician, model, music video director.
*
Mac DeMarco, musician
*
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (; ; born November 11, 1974) is an American actor and film producer. Known for Leonardo DiCaprio filmography, his work in biographical and period films, he is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received ...
, actor
*
William Ferguson (1822–1910), member of the Los Angeles Common Council
*
Glenn Frey
Glenn Lewis Frey (; November 6, 1948 – January 18, 2016) was an American musician. He was a founding member of the rock band Eagles, for whom he was the co-lead singer and frontman, roles he came to share with fellow member Don Henley, with ...
, musician
*
Eric Garcetti
Eric Michael Garcetti (born February 4, 1971) is an American politician and diplomat who served as the List of ambassadors of the United States to India, United States ambassador to India from 2023 to 2025. He was the 42nd mayor of Los Angeles f ...
, Los Angeles mayor
*
Erica Garcia, Argentine rock singer-songwriter
*
Seth Green, actor
*
Alex Gruenenfelder, filmmaker and author
*
Kim Gruenenfelder, author
*
Roy Hampton, Los Angeles City Council member, 1939–41
*
Hand Habits, musician
*
Marilyn Horne
Marilyn Berneice Horne (born January 16, 1934) is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer. She specialized in roles requiring beauty of tone, excellent breath support, and the ability to execute difficult coloratura passages. She is a recipient ...
, soprano, lived at 1565 Altivo Way
*
John Huston
John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics. He rec ...
, film director
*
Art Ingels, inventor of the Go-Kart
*
Touko Laaksonen (AKA Tom of Finland), artist
*
Paul Landacre
Paul Hambleton Landacre (July 9, 1893, Columbus, Ohio – June 3, 1963, Los Angeles, California) was an American artist based in Los Angeles. His artistic innovations and technical virtuosity gained wood engraving a foothold as a high art form in ...
, artist, lived at 2006 El Moran Street
*
Sasha Lane, actress, model
*
Shia LaBeouf, actor, writer, artist
*
Solomon Lazard (1827–1916), entrepreneur, banker and politician
*
Henry Jay Lewis, musical conductor
*
Estelle Lawton Lindsey, newspaper columnist and Los Angeles City Council member, lived at 2414 Echo Park Avenue
*
Edward Middleton Manigault, painter
[.]
*
Aimee Semple McPherson, evangelist and founder of
Foursquare Church
*
Steve McQueen
Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of counterculture of the 1960s, 1960s counterculture, made him a top box office draw for his films of the late ...
, actor, lived on Vestal Avenue in 1955
*
Carey McWilliams author, editor and lawyer
*
Alessandro Nivola, actor, bought and lived in Angelino Heights Victorian home in 2002
*
Molly Parker, actress
*
Lil Peep
Gustav Elijah Åhr (; November 1, 1996 – November 15, 2017), known professionally as Lil Peep, was an American rapper and singer-songwriter. He was a member of the hip-hop collective GothBoiClique, and is credited as being a leading figure of ...
, musician lived here from 2016 to his death in 2017
*
Art Pepper
Arthur Edward Pepper Jr. (September 1, 1925 – June 15, 1982) was an American jazz musician, most known as an alto saxophonist. He occasionally performed and recorded on tenor saxophone, clarinet (his first instrument) and bass clarinet. Active ...
, jazz musician
*
Ariel Pink
Ariel Marcus Rosenberg ( ; born June 24, 1978), professionally known as Ariel Pink, is an American musician, singer, and songwriter whose work draws heavily from the popular music of the 1960s–1980s. His lo-fi aesthetic and home-recorded al ...
, musician
*
Leo Politi, artist and illustrator
*
James Wesley Potts, merchant, landowner and member of the Los Angeles Common Council; noted locally as an amateur weatherman nicknamed "The Prophet."
*
Margaret Qualley, actress, dancer.
*
Sara Ramirez
Sara Elena Ramírez Vargas (; born August 31, 1975) is an American actor. Born in Mazatlán, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Ramírez moved from Mexico to the United States at eight years old, eventually graduating with a fine arts degree from the Juillia ...
, actress
*
Ann Robinson
Ann Robinson (born May 25, 1929) is an American former actress and stunt horse rider. She had a leading role in the science-fiction classic ''The War of the Worlds (1953 film), The War of the Worlds'', and starred in the 1954 film ''Dragnet (1 ...
, actress and stunt horse rider
*
Horatio Sanz
Horacio Sanz (born June 4, 1969), better known by his stage name Horatio Sanz, is an American comedian and actor. Sanz was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1998 to 2006.
Early life
Sanz was born on Ju ...
, comedian, actor, ex-SNL cast member and podcaster.
*
Mack Sennett
Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American producer, director, actor, and studio head who was known as the "King of Comedy" during his career.
Born in Danville, Quebec, he started acting i ...
, writer, film producer, film director, studio executive
*
Peter Shire,
Memphis Group artist
*
Sia, musician, writer
*
Roger L. Simon, novelist and screenwriter. His fictional detective, Moses Wine, also lived in Echo Park.
*
Grace Simons, activist for
Elysian Park
*
Brando Skyhorse, author, lived on Portia Street
*
Brian Smith, director, producer, and screenwriter
*
Elliott Smith
Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known as Elliott Smith, was an American musician and singer-songwriter. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of his life in Portland, Oregon, whe ...
(1969–2003), musician, singer, songwriter
*
JD Souther, musician
*
Avey Tare, musician
*
Darwin William Tate, Los Angeles City Council member, 1933–39
*
Danny Trejo
Danny Trejo (, ; born May 16, 1944) is an American actor. Known for his Danny Trejo filmography, large body of work as a character actor, films in which he has appeared in have grossed over $3.7 billion worldwide.
A native of Los Angeles, Tr ...
, actor
*
Valentina, drag queen
*
Clare Vivier, fashion designer
*
Eric Wareheim, actor, comedian
*
Clara Kimball Young, silent film actress
*
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...
, musician and songwriter, lived at 1819 Bellevue Ave
*
Jacob Zeitlin, bookseller, opened an antique book shop at 1623 Landa Street
In popular culture
Film
* ''
Twenty Minutes of Love
''Twenty Minutes of Love'' is a 1914 American silent comedy film made by Keystone Studios. The film is widely reported as Charlie Chaplin's directorial debut; some sources name Joseph Maddern as the director, but generally credit Chaplin as t ...
'' is a 1914 short
silent film
A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...
starring
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...
, which takes place at Echo Park Lake.
* ''
Recreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for happiness, enjoyment, amusement, ...
'' is a 1914 short
silent film
A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...
starring
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...
, which takes place at Echo Park Lake.
* The Academy Award-winning 1974 film ''
Chinatown
Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...
'' by Director
Roman Polanski
Raymond Roman Thierry Polański (; born 18 August 1933) is a Polish and French filmmaker and actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Roman Polanski, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Britis ...
has a scene taking place in Echo Park. In the movie's third-most-famous scene, Jake (
Jack Nicholson
John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. Nicholson is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, often playing rebels fighting against the social structure. Over his five-de ...
) pretends to photograph his associate, as cover for snapping Hollis and Katherine, while boating on Echo Park Lake.
*''
Echo Park
Echo Park is a neighborhood in the east-Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles, California. Located to the northwest of Downtown Los Angeles, Downtown, it is bordered by Silver Lake, Los Angeles, Silver Lake to the west and Chinato ...
'' is a 1986 American comedy drama film set in Echo Park. The plot follows several aspiring actors, musicians and models.
* ''
Alligator II: The Mutation'' is 1990
* ''
Mi Vida Loca
''Mi Vida Loca'' (also known as ''My Crazy Life'') is a 1993 United States, American Coming-of-age story, coming-of-age drama film directed and written by Allison Anders. It centers on the plight of Chola (Mexican subculture), cholas (the femal ...
'', is a 1993 American
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
directed and written by
Allison Anders
Allison Anders (born November 16, 1954) is an American independent film director whose films include '' Gas Food Lodging'', '' Mi Vida Loca'' and '' Grace of My Heart''. Anders has collaborated with fellow UCLA School of Theater, Film and Telev ...
centered on young Mexicanas and Chicanas (and their male counterparts) growing up in Echo Park.
*''
The Fast And The Furious'' is a 2001 American
crime
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...
action-adventure film
The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as ...
directed by
Rob Cohen starring
Paul Walker,
Vin Diesel, &
Michelle Rodriguez
Mayte Michelle Rodríguez (born July 12, 1978) is an American actress. She began her career in 2000, playing a troubled boxer in the independent sports drama film ''Girlfight'' (2000), where she won the Independent Spirit Awards, Independent S ...
. Vin Diesel plays Dominic Toretto, a street racer who lives in Echo Park. Many scenes take place there including at Bob's Market in Angelino Heights and a meet up in the parking lot of
Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium is a ballpark in the Elysian Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Opened in 1962, it was constructed in less than three years at a ...
.
*''
Training Day
''Training Day'' is a 2001 American crime thriller film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by David Ayer. It stars Denzel Washington as Alonzo Harris and Ethan Hawke as Jake Hoyt, two LAPD narcotics officers followed over a 24-hour period ...
'' is a 2001 American
crime
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...
thriller film
Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...
directed by
Antoine Fuqua starring
Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his dramatic roles Denzel Washington on screen and stage, on stage and screen, Washington has received List of awards and nominations ...
and
Ethan Hawke
Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor, author, and film director. He made his film debut in ''Explorers (film), Explorers'' (1985), before making a breakthrough performance in ''Dead Poets Society'' (1989). Hawke starr ...
as two
LAPD
The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...
narcotics officers who patrol over a 12-hour period in the gang-ridden neighborhoods of
Westlake, Echo Park and
South Central Los Angeles.
* ''
Quinceañera
In Mexico, Mexican and other Latin American cultures, it is customary to celebrate a girl's 15th birthday. In Spanish language, Spanish, the girl celebrating her 15th birthday is called a ; in English language, English, primarily in the Unite ...
'' is a 2006 film about gentrification in Los Angeles, centered on Echo Park.
* ''
Columbus Day (film)'' of 2009 has a recurring scene at the Echo Park Lake.
* The
Nicolas Winding Refn 2011 film
''Drive'' is set primarily in Echo Park. The main character, "The Driver" lives in Echo Park and meets many characters in and around the area.
* ''
Echo Park
Echo Park is a neighborhood in the east-Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles, California. Located to the northwest of Downtown Los Angeles, Downtown, it is bordered by Silver Lake, Los Angeles, Silver Lake to the west and Chinato ...
'' is a 2014 drama romance film directed by
Amanda Marsalis set in Echo Park.
*''
A Star Is Born'' is a 2018 American
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film
Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
directed by
Bradley Cooper
Bradley Charles Cooper (born January 5, 1975) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and three Grammy Awards. In addition, he has been nominated for twelve Acade ...
starring Bradley Cooper and
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...
. Lady Gaga's character, Ally, lives with her father in the
Angelino Heights district of Echo Park.
Television
* ''The Bench'' Episode 004 with
Huell Howser, filmed in 1996
* The main character Jimmy played by
Stephen Falk in the 2014 FX show ''
You're The Worst
''You're the Worst'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Stephen Falk. Originally broadcast by FX (TV channel), FX, the series moved to its sister channel FXX beginning with the second season. The series follows Jimmy (Chris ...
'' lives in Silver Lake, and much of Echo Park is featured in the show as the main characters visit nearby businesses.
* The 2016 Netflix series ''
Love
Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...
'' is primarily set in Echo Park.
* The 2017 reboot of the sitcom ''
One Day at a Time'' is set in Echo Park.
* The television series Chuck is mainly set in Echo Park.
Literature
* ''
Echo Park
Echo Park is a neighborhood in the east-Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles, California. Located to the northwest of Downtown Los Angeles, Downtown, it is bordered by Silver Lake, Los Angeles, Silver Lake to the west and Chinato ...
'' is a 2006
crime fiction
Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professiona ...
novel set mostly in Echo Park. It's the 17th novel by American crime-writer
Michael Connelly
Michael Joseph Connelly (born July 21, 1956) is an American author of Detective fiction, detective novels and other crime fiction, notably those featuring Los Angeles Police Department, LAPD Detective Harry Bosch, Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch and cr ...
and the twelfth featuring the Los Angeles detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch.
* The award-winning book "The Madonnas of Echo Park: A Novel" by
Brando Skyhorse follows a
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
family rattled by a tragic event in their home of Echo Park. The story focuses on the marginalized men and women who cook the meals, clean the homes, and struggle to lose their ethnic identity in the pursuit of the American dream. In 2012, HBO was in talks to produce a
drama series based on the book.
* The ''Echo Park Coven Novels'' book series written by ''
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...
'' actress
Amber Benson
Amber Benson (born January 8, 1977) is an American actress, writer, director, and producer. She is best known for her role as Tara Maclay on the TV series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1999–2002), and has directed, produced and starred in her o ...
, which includes #1 ''The Witches of Echo Park'' (2015), #2 ''The Last Dream Keeper'' (2016), and #3 ''The End of Magic'' (2017) is a trilogy of
fantasy novel
Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. magic (paranormal), Magic, the supernatural and Legendary creature, magical creatures are common i ...
s about a coven of young witches that live in Echo Park.
* Part of the book ''
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow'' written by
Gabrielle Zevin takes place in Echo Park. One of the lead characters, Sam Masur, grows up there with his mother.
Music
*
Keith Barbour released an album, ''Echo Park'', in 1969, which hit No. 163 on the
''Billboard'' 200, and the title track, written by
Buzz Clifford, hit No. 40 on the Pop Singles chart.
* The 1976 song
Carmelita by
Warren Zevon
Warren William Zevon (January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was an American rock singer and songwriter. His most famous compositions include "Werewolves of London", "Lawyers, Guns and Money" and "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner". All t ...
references Echo Park by name and he sings of meeting his heroin dealer who "hangs out down on Alvarado Street by the
Pioneer Chicken stand."
* The 1980 song "
I Die: You Die" by
Gary Numan
Gary Anthony James Webb (born 8 March 1958), known professionally as Gary Numan, is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He entered the music industry as frontman of the New wave music, new wave band Tubeway Army. After releasing two st ...
references it: "In Echo Park, I / Pause for effect and whisper 'Who are you?'"
* The 1980s song "Echo Park" by
Brian Setzer
Brian Robert Setzer (born April 10, 1959) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He found widespread success in the early 1980s with the 1950s-style rockabilly group Stray Cats, and returned to the music scene in the early 1990s with ...
is a studio outtake released in 1999 and references the local lake, "I used to swim in Echo Park Lake all night."
* British rock band
Feeder named their 2001 album after the area. It became their breakthrough album going platinum in the United Kingdom.
* The 2004 song "Echo Park" by
Ryan Cabrera is about Echo Park with lyrics such as, "Today it rained in L.A....I'm leaving my heart here in Echo Park."
* The 2009 music video for the song "
End Love" by the rock band
OK Go
OK Go is an American Rock music, rock band originally from Chicago, Illinois, now based in Los Angeles, California. The band is composed of Damian Kulash (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, guitar), Tim Nordwind (bass guitar, bass, backing vocalist, v ...
was filmed in Echo Park Lake and made one of the local geese a celebrity.
* The 2011 song "Echo Park" by
Ximena Sariñana is about a man she likes from Echo Park who is a hipster and 'superficially cool.' with lyrics, "I thought he was ready to mend my broken heart...till someone reminds me that he lived in Echo Park" and in an interview Sariñana says, the reason for including Echo Park in the name and lyrics is a way to display 'a superficial motive for falling in love with someone.'
* The 2017 song "Scott Street" by
Phoebe Bridgers
Phoebe Lucille Bridgers (born August 17, 1994) is an American singer-songwriter. Her indie folk music typically centers on acoustic guitar and Electronic music, electronic production, with melancholic lyrical themes. She has won four Grammy Aw ...
is about Scott Avenue. It's a quaint residential stretch that the song's subject, Marshall, travelled to make a daily pilgrimage to buy cigarettes.
* The 2017 song "Up in Hudson" by
Dirty Projectors about long-distance lovers mentions Echo Park in the lyrics, "And you're out in Echo Park, blasting 2Pac, drinking a fifth..."
* The 2018 song "King of Echo Park", from
TV Girl
TV Girl is an American indie pop band from San Diego, California, consisting of lead vocalist Brad Petering, drummer Jason Wyman, and keyboardist Wyatt Harmon.
The band released its first three EPs in 2010 and a mixtape in 2012. It followed th ...
's album ''
Death of a Party Girl'', is about Echo Park including the lyrics, "As the sun sets on Sunset" (Blvd), and "Now she's playing pool at the Little Joy." (a local bar)
* The 2018 song "Jaws" by
Bladee
Benjamin Thage Dag Reichwald (born 9 April 1994), known professionally as Bladee, is a Swedish singer and rapper. In 2013, he formed the Drain Gang music collective alongside childhood friends Ecco2K, Thaiboy Digital, and Whitearmor. Bladee ...
mentions the location twice in the lyrics, "Night call, Echo Park"
* The 2019 song "Echo Park" by
Bedouine is about Echo Park with lyrics including, "Where everybody's avant-garde," "Long as my rent don't climb, I'm living in Echo Park," (Echo Park's demographic began heavily shifting in 2000 and rents reached an all-time high by 2017) and "Oh, I long to be at the fountain and the lake."
* The 2022 song "Echo Park" by Tim Baker.
* The music video for the song "Step by Step" by
Eddie Chacon was filmed in Echo Park.
See also
*
List of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in Silver Lake, Angelino Heights, and Echo Park
*
List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles
Notes and references
External links
Echo Park Historical SocietyThe Eastsider LA��A news source for Echo Park and surrounding neighborhoods
Echo Park Now��News and Information about Echo Park happenings and history
Echo Park Online��A social networking site and blogging platform
Edendale Farm CSA and Learning CenterEcho Park crime map and statistics
{{Authority control
Central Los Angeles
Landmarks in Los Angeles
Neighborhoods in Los Angeles
Northwest Los Angeles
Parks in Los Angeles
Populated places in the Santa Monica Mountains