County DPR proudly manages 182 facilities and strives to promote a healthy lifestyle and strengthen the community through diverse physical, educational, and cultural opportunities. Aligned with these goals, County DPR intends that the proposed MLK Tree Grove will create enhanced opportunities, providing visitors with a valuable cultural and historical resource that also has the capacity to restore natural habitat, enhance a comprehensive trail system, increase active and passive recreation opportunities, and protect and promote a critical viewshed. Moreover, the site will be a space for peaceful reflection, inspiration, and learning so that Dr. King's message is neither forgotten nor abandoned. Set atop a curvaceous California slope, it will stand as a testament to the life and legacy of Dr. King, a man who stood for equality, spoke of acceptance, and dreamed of a future where freedom would ring from every mountainside.

 
Fifty years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., hundreds of community members dedicated a Memorial Tree Grove in his honor at the highest point of the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, overlooking downtown Los Angeles. The tree grove features an obelisk that evokes memories of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Dr. King delivered his historic "I Have a Dream" speech. The obelisk is inscribed with some of the civil rights leader's most inspiring words. With sweeping vistas of downtown Los Angeles, the tree grove is a highlight of the 13-mile Park to Playa trail that connects the beach with the Baldwin Hills. "I believe once you experience the Memorial Tree Grove here at the very top of Hahn Park, you will find few other spaces that so peacefully and so exquisitely facilitate reflection in his honor," said Los Angeles County Second District Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. "There's no other individual who has inspired us, challenged us, and motivated us to create a world filled with more civility, equality, and dignity."


The upcoming Hardscapes Issue of Landscape Architect and Specifier News saw many firms submit their projects for feature consideration. This project was not chosen for a Feature in the issue, but we at LandscapeArchitect.com thought the project deserved to be showcased online . . .

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