How long has the fence been up at the Mulholland Fountain? If you've been driving past Los Feliz and Riverside since 2021, the honest answer is long enough that it now looks permanent. A short drive north, the merry-go-round has been locked for most of the years since the pandemic. The Griffith Park Pool is empty. The old pony ride site has been idle since it closed four years ago.
Each landmark belongs to a different party, runs on its own schedule, and gives neighbors a different way to have a say. Starting Friday, October 23, one of those ways opens to anyone with a few minutes and an opinion.
Different owners, different timelines
| Landmark | Who is moving it forward | Where it stands | Next date on record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Griffith Park merry-go-round | Recreation and Parks staff, theme-industry volunteers, Friends of Griffith Park | Restoration planning; at least two years of work | Saturday open houses, announced on the project's Instagram |
| Mulholland Memorial Fountain | Los Angeles Department of Water and Power | In design; drained and fenced | Construction start projected for late 2026 or early to mid 2027, depending on the source |
| Griffith Park Pool | City capital project, $36 million | Preliminary designs under review | Opening estimated for early 2029 |
| Former Pony Rides site | Recreation and Parks | Request for proposals canceled in July | New proposal in development |
The city is drafting a long-range plan for South Griffith Park, the strip south of Los Feliz Boulevard between Riverside Drive and the 5 Freeway. The plan area includes the pool, the pony site and the nearby DWP parcel that holds the Mulholland Fountain and Centennial Gardens. The merry-go-round, north of the boulevard, runs on its own track. Who holds each one decides what you can actually do about it.
The merry-go-round runs on volunteers and donations
The carousel sits a short walk from the Griffith Park Ranger Station, near the tennis courts and the remains of the original zoo. It turned 100 this year. The city bought it in 2025 for $1 million, and apart from a brief, limited run in 2022 it has been closed since the pandemic.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Tracy James of the Department of Recreation and Parks is leading the restoration with volunteer theme-park specialists Kurt Sawitskas, Troy Leverton and Pim Renting. James called the carousel "the jewel in the middle of the city," and the Times reports the work will take at least two years.
The scale of the job comes from the 66 wooden horses. Sawitskas told the Times that many have small fractures in their wood joints that can't be repaired over old paint. "There's no way to just keep painting over this and hiding the problem," he said. After the woodwork comes the machinery: Americans With Disabilities Act compliance, and new controls to smooth out a ride that has only ever run at one speed. James puts the total above $3 million to $4 million.
That price matters, because the money comes from the public. Donations go through the nonprofit Friends of Griffith Park, whose restoration fund covers the mechanism and the horses. James plans to hold open houses on as many Saturdays as she can and post the dates on the Griffith Merry-Go-Round Project Instagram. Of the four landmarks, this is the one where a neighbor can walk up on a weekend and see the work in progress.
The fountain belongs to the utility, and its two official dates disagree
The Mulholland Fountain sits within the master plan area, but on a DWP parcel, so the plan doesn't control its repair schedule. The pump room flooded in 2021, and the Department of Water and Power says the restoration will replace the pumps and electrical systems. On its project page, DWP lists the project as in design, with construction expected in the second half of 2026.
The city's own presentation for the July 15, 2026 master plan workshop gives a later date, with construction "projected to begin in early-mid 2027." The Eastsider reported in September that DWP had not said whether work was on schedule. Neither source gives a completion date.
While the fountain stays drained and fenced, DWP's fact sheet says the Tom LaBonge Aqueduct Centennial Gardens around it are meant to stay open. So that corner is still a place to walk, just without the water.
The pool has funding and a date, but the pony site has neither
South of Los Feliz Boulevard, two sites show the range inside the master plan area. The Griffith Park Pool is the furthest along. Its $36 million renovation replaces the old 225-foot pool with a 164-foot competition pool and adds a 25-by-25-yard splash pad. It is in design, and The Eastsider puts completion in early 2029. Marian Dodge, who represented Friends of Griffith Park on the plan's steering committee, told The Eastsider that "everyone agreed that the restoration of the pool was a top priority."
The former Griffith Park Pony Rides site has no plan yet. The city canceled its request for proposals in July because too few groups responded, and Recreation and Parks says a new proposal is being developed. With no operator and no design, the site's future is still open, which makes it a good candidate for public input.
The Griffith Park Adult Community Center is the quietest example. It has been operating out of a portable structure, and Dodge told The Eastsider it "has been trying to get a permanent facility for more than a decade."
The survey that opens Friday
The master plan is where needs like the pony site and the adult center get weighed against each other. The city held an in-person workshop last night, Wednesday, October 21, at Friendship Auditorium, 3201 Riverside Drive. The Fall 2026 survey opens tomorrow, October 23, and the same page has a feedback form and an email signup for project updates.
The city's remaining schedule runs in four phases.
- Design alternatives, fall 2026, the phase the survey feeds
- Plan preparation, early 2027
- Environmental review under CEQA, 2027 through 2028
- Adoption, spring 2028
Once design alternatives are set, later rounds tend to choose among them rather than start fresh. So this fall's survey comes at the stage when an idea for an empty site can still become one of the options.
What's open at the south end through November 1
The closures get the attention, but much of this end of the park is open, and the next two weekends are busy.
- Griffith Park & Southern Railroad, I-Spy Halloween. Rides and festival activities on October 24–25 and October 31–November 1, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 4400 Crystal Springs Drive.
- Los Angeles Haunted Hayride. Select nights through November 1 at 4730 Crystal Springs Drive. New this year are a Madame Aurora séance show and themed bars.
- Shane's Inspiration. The playground at 4730 Crystal Springs Drive is open daily from 5 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
- Fern Dell volunteer day. Friends of Griffith Park lists a Fern Dell volunteer effort on Saturday, October 24.
- Boo at the L.A. Zoo. Trick-or-treating and activities on October 24–25 and October 31–November 1, included with admission or membership.
- The Zoo's Beloved Pets Ofrenda. Open weekends from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through November 2. Staff help visitors add photos and remembrances of their pets.
- Travel Town. The exhibit hall, gallery and depot are open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For bike rentals, Spokes 'N Stuff runs weekend rentals from the Ranger Station parking lot, 10:30 a.m. to sundown. That puts you a short walk from the merry-go-round, so it's worth checking the project's Instagram before you go in case an open house falls on the same Saturday.
At Barrentine Group, we follow the Los Feliz end of Griffith Park because it shapes daily life on the surrounding blocks, from the fenced fountain at the corner to the pool that is still years from opening. If you want to talk through what these long timelines could mean for your own plans in Los Feliz, Work With Us and we'll start with the street you live on.
