The Hollywood Central Park is a 38 acre proposed cap cover Linear Park over US Highway 101 in Los Angeles, California, US.[1]
The park idea was first proposed by Hollywood resident Edward V. Hunt, citing lack of green space in central Los Angeles. The advocacy group "Friends of the Hollywood Park" was formed in 2008, a non-profit group. Inspired by the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway in Boston and the High Line in New York City. [2]
The project was first proposed by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce in 2006. They proposed a 38-acre park, that will "cap" the Hollywood Freeway. The total cost of the project has been projected as much as $1 billion US dollars. Funding for an environmental impact study has been received from various sources since 2008. $1.2 million was received from the Aileen Getty Foundation and $1.53 Million from CRA/LA Excess Bond funds, among other donations. Fundraising and advocacy is ongoing, including a yearly Gala fundraising and advocacy event. The 2023 Gala theme was "Reconnecting Communities" to mimic the DOT's 2023 initiative of the same name. The City of Los Angeles has started pre-development phase thru the department of Recreation and Parks in 2023.
In 2023, the city requested a federal grant from the a DOT initiative to develop park and engineering analysis, to get the park shovel ready. [3] $3.59 million dollars were granted in March 2024 thru the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program and Neighborhood Access and Equity Programs. Federal funds thru the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in 2021. [4]
The park would stretch along the freeway from Bronson Avenue bridge south to Santa Monica Boulevard bridge.[5]