PLAYThe Historic Oakridge Estate School Tours
The 1937 Oakridge Estate was built for actress Barbara Stanwyck as part of her 140 acre Thoroughbred Ranch co-owned with Zeppo and Marion Marx. Since 2012, Friends of Oakridge has offered weekend historic tours and film screenings with community dialogue to some 6,000 visitors. This grant would fund 4 school buses for students from local public schools, grades 10-12, as a pilot program to integrate California history requirements with local history. Included: WWII, Great Depression, Golden Age of Hollywood, Architecture, urbanization.
What is the primary issue area that your application will impact?
Green space, park access, and trees
In which areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?
San Fernando Valley
In what stage of innovation is this project, program, or initiative?
Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)
What is your understanding of the issue that you are seeking to address?
Since 2009, The Oakridge Estate and surrounding 10 acres have been owned by the City of Los Angeles and managed by the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks (RAP). Since 2014, the only public access to The Oakridge Estate has been through Friends of Oakridge monthly weekend tours and films. The RAP goal is to restore the estate and make it available as a community cultural center. With blistering 2025 citywide budget shortfalls, Recreation and Parks is nurturing partnerships with outside organizations in order to maintain and improve Recreation and Parks programs. One RAP objective is to increase public access to historically and culturally significant properties in the RAP portfolio. Through the past 12 years, Friends has opened Oakridge to some 6,000 weekend visitors. Interesting displays have been created. The historic tour script has evolved and is engaging. Public school tours would be a means of allowing the public more frequent access to this Los Angeles owned gem.
Describe the project, program, or initiative this grant will support to address the issue.
The Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department has within their portfolio several historically and culturally important properties. Under current programming, several of these properties are either not available to the pubic at all, or minimally available. Sometimes a historic property is available only with event rentals.
Friends of Oakridge monthly historic tours and film events with public dialogue are well researched and engaging. Material has been tested on 6,000 weekend adult visitors.
School group tours integrating California state history requirements with local history would offer the community more access to this Los Angeles City Historical Culture Monument.
Friends is requesting funding for transportation for 4 local high school classes to visit the Estate as a pilot program.
Describe how Los Angeles County will be different if your work is successful.
Surveys are sent to all attendees of Friends of Oakridge events. Ratings from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest are requested, with comments. Ratings from the majority of attendees are 5's. Recurring comments are (1) how did I not know this place is here (2) who knew so much fascinating history is in the middle of Northridge (3) Why isn't this place open more often. (4) your tours fill quickly and are hard to book. (5) your volunteers are a joy. (6) there is so much potential here.
If a school tour pilot program succeeds, and public access increases, future grants might become more realistic and help with restoration of the Estate, the grounds and development of urban gardens. Consensus among visitors throughout Southern California and occasionally the world, is the property is a gem. Current city funding is too tight.
Los Angeles City owns several historic and cultural properties that the public does not have access to.
School group tours at Oakridge may be a partial solution.
Approximately how many people will be impacted by this project, program, or initiative?
Direct Impact: 160
Indirect Impact: 320