Echo Park and its lake have always been a touchstone for the community that grew up around it.

Initially, the area we now know as the park was a natural arroyo that filled with water from a spring-fed stream that originated at Baxter Street and flowed down what is now Echo Park Avenue. In 1868 the Los Angeles Canal and Reservoir Co. dammed the arroyo to make a reservoir that aided in powering a woolen mill at what is now 6th and Figueroa (then known as Pearl St.) and was to eventually serve local residents, walnut orchards and vineyards to the south along Alvarado. The immigrants that worked these orchards and vineyards settled here and began to build small homes along Sunset Boulevard, between Echo Park Avenue and Lemoyne Street.

In 1875, the woolen mill closed and the reservoir land (then known as the Montana Tract) was sold off. Eventually, Thomas J. Kelley and Dr. W. Lemoyne Wills purchased the land for a business venture. For reasons unknown, the venture wasn’t feasible and in 1888, Mr. Kelley and Dr. Wills donated the land to the city for the expressed purpose of creating a public park for the enjoyment of the people of Los Angeles. The paperwork was finally completed during the recession of 1889 and in 1891 park development began. The first Superintendent of Parks for the city was an English immigrant named Joseph Tomlinson who was assigned the task of creating the park. Mr. Tomlinson, being somewhat homesick for his favorite park in Derbyshire, England, decided to model the park after his favorite childhood place to play. At the same time, the reservoir was closed and the stream was capped. The park superintendent created a 16-acre lake where the reservoir had been. It cost $5,637.00 to create the lake that is now filled with city water. Once that was accomplished, the planting began on the other 15 acres of park.

One day, while overseeing the work, Mr. Tomlinson thought he heard his workers talking during a break, but he knew they were across the park from him. The park had an echo! He knew what the name of the park would be! Unfortunately, the plantings he installed destroyed the echo, but the name remained. The park was dedicated and opened to the public in 1895.

The famous bed of lotuses that grow in the lake at the northwest end of the park, the largest stand of lotuses outside Asia, is a mystery yet to be solved. One legend says that evangelical Chinese missionaries planted them for use as food, but no one knows the real story. They appeared some time in 1923 or 1924. Nonetheless, they remain a beautiful addition to the park and have inspired the city to sponsor the annual Lotus Festival that celebrates Asian and South Pacific Island cultures.

1902 United States Geographical Survey map from 1902. Note blue-line that starts at the top-right.

This is the Los Angeles Canal and Reservoir Co’s Zanja (ditch) which conveyed water to the reservoir from the Los Angeles River. The zanja started at the present day ‘Travel Town’ and followed the slopes above the river until it veers south above a small valley (present day Glendale Blvd. down to Riverside Drive). Its course then follows the hill above the present day Silverlake Reservoir (note the dashed blue-line, a natural ‘waterway’ that is now the bottom of the reservoir). The zanja then follows the present day Silverwood Terrace then turns South-East south of Berkeley Street then down what became Glendale Blvd. to the reservoir. Also feeding into the reservoir was the small blue-line to the right, the natural spring from Baxter Street.

More than 20 artists have signed up to be included on the studio tour. Three shuttle buses will transport festival participants between the studios and galleries or visitors can pick up a map and tour on their own. Call NancyLissaman at 481-0142 for more tour details

Artists who want to be included in the professional exhibition have until Sept. 10 to submit their slides or photos to Echo Park Artists Festival, 1539 Parmer Ave., LA, CA 90026. Please include a stamped, self-addressed envelope for the return of materials. The show, which will run on Oct. 10 & 11, will be curated by artist OliviaSanchez Brown.

KatrinaAlexy and her crew are busy spreading the word at local schools about the student art exhibition and art workshops. The exhibition is open to students in k-12. The student exhibition group is approaching local arts stores and business who would like to contribute art supplies or services that will be give away as prizes. If you would like to volunteer, call Katrina at 662-6083.

Master muralist ErnestoDe La Loza has identified a wall on Mohawk Street and Sunset Boulevard that will serve as the site for the festival mural. Call Ernesto at 484-1272 to get involved in mural project.

They still need a lot of help on the day of the festival. You can serve as neighborhood tour guide on a shuttle bus or gallery sit. Please call (213) 250-4155 to find out how you can get involved.

The most notable feature of the intersection of Echo Park and Morton avenues used to be Magic Gas station. Now, the same area is emerging as the neighborhood’s gallery row. By late September, three galleries are expected to be open in side-by-side store fronts on Echo Park Avenue. Joining Ojala Fine Arts & Crafts, which opened in May, will be Delirium Tremens (look it up), at 1553 Echo Park Ave. Owners AaronDonovan and PattyCastillo will open their space in early September with a group exhibition featuring the paintings and drawings of VanArno, StaceyLande, JohnParra and JasonKraus.

Next door, MerrickMorton, RobinBlackman and KatrinaAlexy are ripping out walls and restoring historical features as they prepare to open Fototeka, an exhibition space for the photographic arts. They are planning a late September opening. Call 661-5563 for more information. All three exhibition spaces are scheduled to participate in a Eastside Gallery tour on Thursday Sept. 24 and Friday Sept. 25, when about a dozen art venues in Echo Park, Silver Lake and Los Feliz will be open from 5 PM to 11 PM.

An exhibition featuring the photography of DellaRossa will be held during the month of August at The Perfect Exposure in Los Angeles. The Day They Killed Ruben Salazar includes photos from Della’s book on the death of the Los Angeles journalist on August 29, 1970. The sow opens with a 7 PM reception at Friday, Aug. 7. The Perfect Exposure is located at 3501 W. Sixth St. Call 213-381-1136 for more info. Paintings by NancyLisssaman and ZohrehPartovi will be on exhibition at Ojala Fine Arts & Crafts, 1547 Echo Park Ave., during the month of August. The opening reception included a performance by Echo Park musician DevinSarno.

In September, WilliamNettles will exhibit his photographs at Ojala as part of a historical exhibition and debut of a new book–Ghosts of Echo Park–on local history. The opening reception and book signing will take place on Saturday, Sept. 5. Call 250-4155 for more information. Painter CooperTomlinson was part of the Mad River Post Summer Collection exhibition in Santa Monica. Photographer MartinCox is included in the LA NUDE VI exhibition at Photo Impact–931 N. Citrus Ave.– in Hollywood. The show runs through Sept. 18. KatrinaAlexy and HillaryMushkin were part of the most recent show in the While You Wait Series at the Hollywood Department of Motor Vehicle.

MerrickMorton’s photographs from a recent trip to Cuba were included in a group exhibition titled Not So Distant Lands at George’s in Los Feliz. Paintings by PatssiValdez and an installation by EricaSuderberg were included in the COLA: 1997-98 Individual Artists Grants show at the Municipal Art Gallery at the Barnsdall Art Park. Patssi and Erica were among the 12 artists exhibited in the May-June show who received $10,000, unrestricted grants from the city.

Annie Buckley’s recent work is a fusion of opposites – a combination of steel with wax and other organic materials to create a body of work that blends the industrial with the organic.

Sharyll Burroughs-Chung discovered a flair for design by helping friends turn dumpy apartments into great spaces. Her work has been featured in the Los Angeles area.

Diane Carlyle is her own wellspring of creativity and inspiration.  Her work encompasses clay, painting and drawing, and poetry – gifts to be shared.

Kory Edwards makes some of his work abstract, some figurative, but he most enjoys incorporating both elements. He is a new resident of Echo Park.

Neil Fenn’s abstract objects include paintings, drawings, murals and wood
constructions.  His pieces allow the viewer to immerse himself in a visually complex, emotionally stimulating experience.

Samantha Grisdale is motivated by the harmonious exchange of power between mind, body and object. The intention is to marry that which is recognizable with unseen forms.

Gordon Henderson is a freeloader and a con-artist who has spent the last several years bothering people and taking their money. He draws, paints and talks some. See Spoken Word.

Jovenes Art Park is a nonprofit organization that helps at-risk and homeless Latino youth through art.

Ivica Bojcic was born in Dalmatia, in the southern part of Croatia.  He has produced work in drawing, painting and sculpture for more than 10 years.

Martin Cox got his first camera as a teenager. After a road-trip across the Southwest he was inspired to capture the solitude of the desert.

Liz Harmon began to explore visual communication with paint while she was hospitalized.  She is a self-taught artist featured locally.

Tracy Lompa, coming from Envir-onmental Design into Fashion Design, is currently engaged in “fantasy fashion and people,” a process-art installation of slides, nature and sound.

James Mason’s diptych form has been returning compulsively as a symptom of a deep ambivalence.  The latest works combine photography, video and still life.

Marc Linn is a Los Angeles-based artist whose works explore various themes of contemporary mythology.  The interplay of materials illustrates his connection to the spiritual process.

Nancy Lissaman, a teacher, has crossed the boundaries of painting and sculpture to incorporate collage and mixed media.  She is featured regularly in the Los Angeles area.

David Meanix is the eighth of nine children and a recovering Catholic. He is also an upstanding homosexual and loves living in Echo Park.

Kevin O’Connor’s use of religious iconography began to appear after a harrowing family vacation in Puerto Rico ?’some offense was taken’ when first exhibited in North Philly.

Onramp is an independent digital arts access lab.  The focus is to engage youth and artists in creative projects that utilize the multi-faceted aspects of digital technologies and reflect our diverse and growing community.

Peter Ortel is currently at work on his first 35mm film, a collaborative work.  Ortell lives and works in Echo Park with his wife Donnette and an Albino Cattle Dog named Hunter.

Nick Radell creates sculptures and furniture out of wood, neon and steel.  Although the neon medium is a visually demanding one, Radell incorporates it with delicacy.

Peter Shire’s colorful sculptural teapots have received worldwide acclaim and he has continued to explore circus-like playfulness in furniture and sculpture.

Michael Spalt began to make guitars after exploring painting, photography, and work in the film industry.  The work straddles the divide between functional and formal objects.

Dauna Whitehead’s dream-like images of local landscapes and architectural landmarks are included in many prominent collections and have illustrated several publications.

Dori Atlantis’ work delights in contrasting textures, the patina of age and the tactile qualities of the materials. She teaches art to visually impaired and blind adults.

Richard Bruland was born in Lima, Peru, and has lived in Switzerland. His abstract paintings infer a sense of place, always reaching out to a wider audience.

Karen Frimkess Wolff has been following a thread of realism, searching for a language of transformation, balancing sound and silence, passing thought and the permanence of fixed form.

Ronald Layne Young is an architect and California native. His practice specializes in residential, small commercial and tenant improvement projects all over the Los Angeles area.

Lisa Black recently settled in Echo Park.  Her performative work has been featured all over the Midwest, Italy, Poland, Romania, Brazil and Belgium.

Bombshell, a moody pop ensemble, was created two years ago by Zoë Poledouris (vocals, guitar), Mel Dillon (vocals, bass), and Andy Davenhall (vocals, drums).

Crib is Devin Sarno, a man and a bass-line.  Echo Park native Sarno is an experimental musician and founder of independent record label win, which releases work by local musicians.

Andy Davenhall has toured nationally as both a solo artist and singer/songwriter for Sister Psychic.  Andy most recently played with Seattle band Dodie and currently performs with Bombshell.

Mack Gecko works as a scientist for cash.  He spends his time writing songs that tell the stories he heard in his travels. He plays gigs when he can find them.

Fleshpot is Eric Johnson and Margaret Yen, a Eurasian, country, folk, pop ensemble.

Grace Lacques has mastered the art of theater without words.  Her characters appeal to children and people of all ages. Lacques, mother of two, is a poet, teacher and radio producer who has appeared locally.

Santa Maria is Jeff Chayette (guitar) and sublime vocalist Marta Santa Maria, recently moved to Los Angeles from Spain.  The band also features Vince Tividad (bass), Cornell Fowler (percussion) and Mike Acosta (saxophone).

Bradley Martin is a singer/songwriter originally from Columbus, Ohio. His unique style of poetic acoustic music is evocative and poignant.

Red Hill is Jason Myers (guitar), Harvey Lane (saxophone), Richard Luther (keyboards), Anand Bennett (mandolin, violin), Bill Torma (bass) and Mark San Fillipo (drums). After thirty years, Red Hill has incorporated a variety of cultural influences in their highly original compositions.

Ray Sandoval is a composer and guitarist who combines Latin, Brazilian, classical, world and jazz music into a fresh new sound.

Troi is Michael Fitzpatrick (bass, vocals), Vanessa Ove (guitar, vocals), Cisco Huette (percussion), Jamie Farrow (keyboard) and DJ Syndicate M.D.  Their sound is a free-spirited, energetic fusion of ambient grooves, reggae beats and rock power.

Madelynn Von Ritz, storyteller, is also a musician, singer and songwriter.  Her love of performance and working with youth has taken her stories to children all over Los Angeles.