Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook
Landscape Performance Benefits
Environmental
- Saves approximately 4.2 million gallons of potable water annually (enough to supply 33 single-family households) through the use of water-efficient native plants and limited areas of irrigated landscape. This saves about $14,000 annually in water costs.
- Reduced waste, saved between $4,000 and $10,000, and prevented the release of over 16 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by recycling approximately 70 cubic yards of concrete, equivalent to about 7 large concrete mixer trucks.
Social
- Accommodates several hundred visitors daily during morning and evening hours for hiking and other passive recreation, as well as fitness workouts.
- Accommodates additional visitors at the Visitor Center, with a daily average of 400 visitors in spring, 500 in summer, 250 in fall, and 200 in winter.
- Provides 57 acres of parkland in a park-deficient urban area with barely 1 acre of parkland per 1,000 residents. Over a million people live within a 5-mile radius.
At a Glance
Designer
Wallace Roberts & Todd (now WRT Design); Safdie Rabines Architects
Project Type
Park/Open space
Former Land Use
Greyfield
Location
6300 Hetzler Road
Culver City, California 90232
Map itClimate Zone
Warm-summer Mediterranean
Size
57 acres
Budget
$7 million (includes building)
Completion Date
2009
The Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook sits between downtown Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean, with views over the Los Angeles basin. This California State Parks project preserves rare open space in a park-poor area and has revitalized a degraded landscape. California State Parks’ acquisition of the property ended a decade-long battle by preventing conversion of the land to private housing. The site features trails, overlooks, a native plant garden, and the use of recycled materials. Since opening to the public, it has experienced high usage by providing a place to view the sweeping landscape of the region, learn about the area’s history, exercise outdoors, and experience nature in the city.
Challenge
The property’s ecological value was diminished by prior oil extraction, scattered trash dumping, and grading for a previously approved housing development. Although degraded, the site offered spectacular views, and local residents and agencies recognized its potential to enhance open space access and passive recreation opportunities for numerous underserved Los Angeles-area residents.
Solution
The property was purchased for the California State Parks urban park portfolio to serve a large population. To complement the site’s new Visitor Center, the landscape features an overlook viewing structure, interpretive garden, amphitheater, picnic areas, and multiple trails, including a climbing trail that has become popular with fitness enthusiasts. The project uses native plants and recycled concrete.
- The Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook preserves valuable open space in a dense urban environment and makes it publicly accessible.
- The design takes advantage of unique views from the San Gabriel Mountains to Catalina Island, the Santa Monica Mountains, and the Los Angeles urban area.
- The new 24,000-sf parking lot is paved with permeable decomposed granite.
- Of the nearly 600,000 sf of restored and interpretive landscape, only 15% is permanently irrigated, saving water resources.
- The plant palette consists of native species associated with the pre-contact period of significance (before 1750), including 47 unique coastal sage scrub and other regional native species of trees, shrubs, grasses, and forbs.
- Much of the pedestrian hardscape consists of recycled concrete.
- The recycled concrete climbing trail offers visitors an intense fitness workout, burning 80 to 160 calories on the hike up.
- Outdoor educational exhibits showcase the history of the land including Native American history, Spanish settlement, and oil development.
- Land acquisition cost the state over $41 million. The cost estimate for all site work was about $4.4 million.
- Plant establishment requires hand weeding on slopes. Overwatering promotes weed growth and also contributes to mortality of desired native plants.
- To avoid erosion, it is important not to exceed recommended slopes for decomposed granite paving.
- High visitation numbers affirm the popularity of and need for the project, although this is increasing wear on the climbing trail. Well-worn paths have formed adjacent to the trail where some users choose to ascend and descend on the hillside rather than the steps.
Project Team
Landscape Architect: Wallace Roberts & Todd, LLC (now WRT Design)
Owner: California State Parks
Prime Consultant/Architect: Safdie Rabines Architects
Civil Engineer: Fuscoe
Structural Engineer: Nabih Youssef & Associates
Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Engineer: Integrated Engineering
Contractor: Metro Builders & Engineers Group, Ltd.
