1020 E. Palmer Avenue
Glendale, CA 91205-3532
Park Hours of Operation: 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Adams Square Gas Station

On December 8, 2015, the Glendale City Council approved official listing of the Adams Square Gas Station (originally the Richfield Oil Gas Station) on the Glendale Register of Historic Resources.

The 2015 landmark nomination, made by the City of Glendale’s Historic Preservation Commission, was part of an initiative to facilitate formal designation of several significant City-owned properties. The Adams Square mini-park project was completed in 2007 by the City of Glendale in an effort to create a green space in the center of the local business district for the densely populated Adams Hill neighborhood, and to incorporate the historic 1936 Streamline Moderne Gas Station.

1601 West Mountain Street
Glendale, CA 91201 
Park Hours of Operation: 6:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Brand Cemetery

The Brand Family Cemetery is a small private, gated, cemetery off a closed access/fire road above the Brand Library & Art Center at the north end of Brand Park. It is the final resting place of the family of Leslie Coombs Brand as well as the family dogs. In the middle of the cemetery, there is a gravestone in the form of a pyramid with the name BRAND stenciled into the grey rock.

 Brand Library/El Miradero

 Brand Library Hours of Operation:

Tuesday - Thursday,  11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Friday - Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday - Monday, CLOSED
Check website for holiday hours

 More Information:

 info@brandlibrary.org; (818) 548-2051; www.brandlibrary.org

The Brand Library is housed in the mansion Leslie Brand built in 1904 named El Miradero. A gallery and recital hall was added in 1969. Located in Brand Park, high in the foothills overlooking Glendale and the San Fernando Valley, the Library serves an ever-widening public interested in the arts.

The design of El Miradero is similar to the East Indian Pavilion built for the 1893 Columbian World Exposition held in Chicago and visited by Brand. The architecture is considered Saracenic, with crenellated arches, bulbous domes and minars combining characteristics of Spanish, Moorish, and Indian styles.

Brand died in the house in 1925. He bequeathed El Miradero to the city and Mrs. Brand lived in the house until her death in 1945. The will provided that the property be used exclusively for a public park and library. By 1956, the mansion had been converted into Brand Library.

Years later, in response to the need for more arts space, the City Council allocated funds to construct an addition to Brand Library that would include facilities for art exhibitions, lectures and concerts, as well as art and craft studios. The new addition was dedicated in October 1969.   

Doctors House Museum & Victorian Gazebo

Guided Tours:

Sundays, 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. (No tours on holidays, and during inclement weather.)

Suggested Donation:

 $10 

Docent:

The Glendale Historical Society

More Information:

doctorshouse@glendalehistorical.org; (818) 242-7447; https://glendalehistorical.org/museum-tours 

The Doctors House Museum is an authentically restored Queen Anne-Eastlake style home built around 1888. The Doctors House lawn area and gazebo are available for reservation for weddings and other special events. Smoking, barbecues, and amplified sound are NOT permitted because of the historic nature of the facility. 

The two-story house originally stood at 921 East Wilson  Avenue in central Glendale, but was moved to its present location in 1980. Four early doctors owned it in succession, giving the house its name. It was later occupied by silent screen icon Nell Shipman and her family in the early 1900s. Threatened with demolition in 1979, community activists organized to save it and formally incorporated The Glendale Historical Society on October 24, 1979. The Glendale Historical Society dedicated the Doctors House to the City of Glendale on September 12, 1982, after spending thousands of volunteer hours on restoration.

The Doctors House is registered as Glendale Register of Historic Resources #6.

Miradero Gateway

The Miradero Gateway is the large white archway that marks the entrance to Brand Park on West Mountain Street.  At the top of the arch, the word “Miradero” is written across which means “the lookout” in Spanish. Stenciled into the metal gates on the main arch is a stylized “B” that indicated the ownership of the Brand family.

"Shoseian" Whispering Pine Teahouse & Friendship Garden

Hours of Operation

Friendship Garden:
Teahouse Events/Programs:

Monday - Thursday, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.     
Third Sunday of the month

Docent:

 Friends of Shoseian

More Information:

 info@glendaleteahouse.org; (310) 849-5432; www.glendaleteahouse.org 

The traditional teahouse was built in 1974 through the combined efforts of the Sister Cities of Glendale and Higashi-Osaka, Japan. It is one of the few traditional Japanese Teahouses open to the public in the United States. The Teahouse, which was designed by architect  Hayahiko Takase, is a unique blending of western and eastern design and an apt expression of the spirit of cross-cultural community.  Nestled at the foot of the Verdugo Mountains beside a koi pond in a charming Japanese-style garden setting, the Teahouse is in a unique position to outreach to the community of Glendale and greater Los Angeles.

The Teahouse represents the spirit of goodwill, lasting peace and friendship between the people of Japan and the United States. Given the name "Shoseian" or "Whispering Pine Teahouse" by Genshitsu Sen, the Fifteenth Grand Tea Master of the Urasenke School of Tea in Japan, the  Teahouse is designated an official Tearoom. Dr. Yamazaki of Higashi-Osaka provided initial support for the Teahouse and Gardens.

Through recent cooperative efforts by the City of Glendale and Friends of Shoseian, the Teahouse was refurbished and designated as Glendale Register of Historic Resources #46.

Statue of Miss American Green Cross

The Statue of Miss American Green Cross is a 10-foot-high bronze cast statue located in Brand Park, adjacent to the Brand Library & Art Center. The statue was created by sculptor Frederick Willard Potter and dedicated in 1928. Verlyn Sumner was the model for the work. The American Green Cross Society was formally created as a successor to the American Reforestation Association on December 3, 1926. The American Green Cross was an organization dedicated to preserving the country's forests, with headquarters based in Glendale.

The statue was originally displayed at the Glendale High School campus. It was moved in the 1930s and remained lost for two decades. In 1954, the statue was discovered in a remote canyon in Brand Park, though its large base was not present.

The statue was designated as one of the original Glendale city landmarks in 1977, by which time it had become damaged by vandals, its arms lost, and its cross and logs deteriorated. It was placed in storage at the Brand Park maintenance yard in the early 1980s. It was restored by the city at a cost of $60,000-$65,000 with the assistance of sculptor Ron Pekar. Its base and arms were recreated based on a historic photograph. The renovated statue was dedicated in September 1992 at its new location adjacent to the Brand Library.

The statue was added as one of the inaugural entries on the Glendale Register of Historic Resources (GRHR No. 12) in 1997.

 1330 Dorothy Drive
Glendale, CA 91202
Park Hours of Operation: 7:00 a.m. - 1 hour after sunset

The park is 1.6 acres in size.  Amenities include a picnic pavilion which is available for small company or family picnics or gatherings, a turf area that is available  for larger festival-type events, gas grill, sink, electrical outlets, and public restroom facilities. Smoking, barbecues, and amplified sound are NOT permitted because of the historic nature of the facility. 

Casa Adobe de San Rafael is registered as California Landmark #235 and Glendale Register of Historic Resources #3. The Casa was built around 1870 by Tomas Sanchez, former sheriff of Los Angeles County, using adobe blocks to form the walls, which were then covered with stucco.  In 1875, the property was sold, left abandoned, and fell into a ruinous state. In 1930 the Casa was purchased by the California Medicinal Wine Company who planned to tear down the structure and remove the large eucalyptus trees on the property. Local neighbors and community members stopped the demolition and began a campaign to preserve the house as a historic landmark.

The City of Glendale purchased the adobe in 1930 and by 1932 La Casa de Adobe de San Rafael was completely refurbished.

Today, the adobe includes a Monterey-style corridor (covered porch), beautiful sunken garden, brick patio, sandy brown tile roof, and long narrow front windows adorned with teal shutters.  Interior furnishings are from the 19th century.

2211 Bonita Drive
Glendale, CA 91208 
Park Hours of Operation: 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

The park is 1.3 acres in size and is nestled at the base of the Verdugo Mountains in a residential neighborhood. Amenities include a walking trail, a garden, and a shaded picnic area with wooden tables, benches, and electric outlets. Smoking, barbecues, and amplified sound are NOT permitted because of the historic nature of the facility. 

The Catalina Verdugo Adobe is registered as California Historical Landmark #637 and Glendale Register of Historic Resources #1. The Adobe is the oldest structure in the City of Glendale. As with many early structures, the construction date of the Verdugo Adobe is uncertain. It is said the Adobe was built in 1828, but some research suggests that it dates to 1860. It was the home of Catalina Verdugo who, with her brother Julio, owned much of today’s Northeast Glendale. Their father, Don Jose Maria Verdugo, was the original recipient of Rancho San Rafael, the Spanish land grant that encompassed large portions of Glendale, Burbank, and Eagle Rock.

The grounds contain the remnants of the “Oak of Peace,” under which a meeting was held in 1847 that led, a few days later, to the signing of the peace treaty, Treaty of Cahuenga, that ended the Mexican-American War.

The Adobe originally consisted of the main room and the south wing. The north wing was added in the early 1900s, after it was sold to land developer F.P. Newport. In 1946, the property was sold to Dr. Ernest Bashor, and his family remained there until it was sold to the City of Glendale in 1989.  It is fortunate that the historic value of the original house remained preserved. 

Oak of Peace

Jesus Pico, representing Lieutenant Colonel Fremont and the United States met with his brother, General Andres Pico, commander of the Mexican army on the Verdugo Adobe property in January 1847, and recommended that they surrender to the United States due to the size and strength of Fremont's Army. Terms of the surrender were discussed and agreed upon under the large oak located 30 yards from the Adobe. The tree was named the "Oak of Peace" in 1847.

Although the tree died from natural causes in 1987, remnants can still be seen at its original site in Catalina Verdugo Adobe.

3429 Markridge Road
La Crescenta, CA 91214 
Park Hours of Operation: 6:00 a.m. - 1 hour after sunset

Stone Barn Nature Center / Le Mesnager Historic Barn

November 6, 2022 - February 22, 2023

February 23, 2023 - November 4, 2023

Fridays, 3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Saturdays & Sundays, 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Fridays: 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Saturdays & Sundays, 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

 * The first weekend of each month, the Stone Barn Nature Center is available for private rentals, and may not be open to the public.  Closure dates will be listed on the website in the case of rentals. 

In 1885, two immigrant French winemakers, Georges Le Mesnager and Pierre Durancette, purchased land in Dunsmore Canyon from Dr. Benjamin B. Briggs, the founder of La Crescenta. Georges' son, Louis, began building the unique two-story stone barn in 1905 with winery storage on the ground floor. It was completed in 1915 but a fire in 1933 burned the property, leaving only the stonework. The Le Mesnager family rebuilt the barn adding living quarters on the second floor and moved into the property. 

The Le Mesnager Stone Barn is now owned by the City of Glendale, which purchased the land in 1986 and has adaptively reused the historic resource as a nature education center and community building, which is renamed to Stone Barn Nature Center.

 141 South Cedar Street
Glendale, CA 91205 
Park Hours of Operation: 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

The 1913 Wallace House is located in the Glendale Heritage Garden Park. The City-owned Wallace House at the northwest corner of South Cedar and East Harvard streets is a one-story Craftsman-style bungalow. The house was built in 1913; its architect and builder are unknown. The original owners were John and Martha Ellen Wallace, and after their deaths, their daughter Helen lived in the house until 1988.

Wallace House is an excellent vernacular example of the Craftsman style and one of the best and most intact examples in the Harvard neighborhood of South Glendale.

1103 East Mountain Street
Glendale, CA 91207 
Park Hours of Operation: 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Rossmoyne is one of Glendale's most interesting historic neighborhoods, rich with some of our finest residential architecture. The historic district - Glendale's largest - consists of 503 homes set along gently curving streets and features an outstanding variety of Period Revival homes, including excellent examples of the Spanish Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, and French-inspired designs. The area was developed by the Haddock-Nibley Company beginning in 1923 and was largely built out by 1950.

Nibley Park, donated to the city by the developer, is included in the district. The Royal Boulevard Historic District includes a portion of the second phase of the Rossmoyne development.