Culver City Stairs

Culver City Stairs
Stairway
The stairs looking south/up in May 2013
Design:	Ricardo Rabines and Taal Safdie
Construction:	2006
Steps:	282
Height:	715 feet (218 m)
Surface:	concrete[1]
Location:	Culver City, California
Culver City Stairs
Coordinates: 34°1′3″N 118°23′10″W / 34.01750°N 118.38611°WCoordinates: 34°1′3″N 118°23′10″W / 34.01750°N 118.38611°W

The Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook California State Park is located just southwest of downtown Culver City. To some Angelenos, the site is more commonly known as the Culver City Stairs. This outdoor staircase is designed into the trails leading up to a view of the greater Los Angeles. The street address for the park is 6300 Hetzler Road, Culver City, California 90232.

History

The state of California purchased the property in 2000 (former site of Baldwin Hills Reservoir), then closed it to the public in the middle of 2006 to construct the trails (which include the staircase) and visitors center.^[2] The stairs were created by the San Diego-based couple Ricardo Rabines and Taal Safdie,^[3] whose goal in designing the Overlook was to “encompass non-traditional park demographics and environments.” The duo’s work has graced Southern California educational and civic projects like UC San Diego’s Eleanor Roosevelt College, the student center at UCLA, and the Otay Mesa Library. The park reopened in April 2009 with the 282^[4] unique, irregular steps made from recycled concrete found on the park.^[5]

Details

Scaled chart showing steps measured in inches.

The tallest single step measures approximately 20 inches (located adjacent to the only intermediate landing without a curved bench for resting). The average step height is 10.5 inches, and the shortest is 3.5 inches. An information sign posted at the trail entrance near the intersection of Jefferson Blvd. and Hetzler Rd. states that the staircase is 715 feet. In the center of the 13-foot landing between the 247th and 248th steps is a bronze marker stating the elevation, surrounded by two semi-circular engravings:

Step by step, your climb expands the cityscape a thousandfold, framing it ever more broadly with hillside and sky.

375 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL

Concrete = cement + sand + aggregate + water = sidewalks + freeways + buildings + waterways + What would L.A. be without concrete?

Races

Beginning in 2014, Aztlan Athletics has held annual races up the stairs.^[6] The current record from this officially timed race was set in 2015 by Leony Mendez at 2:09.^[7]

See also

• Santa Monica Stairs
• Stair climbing
• Tower running

References

1. Wilson, Nick (July 25, 2011). "A Park a Day: Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, Culver City". LAist. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
2. "Architecture review: What should a big-city park look like?". =Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
3. History of Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook
4. "Park Info, California State Parks". =Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook Staff. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
5. "Safdie Rabines Architects tread lightly with a master plan for a new state park above the Los Angeles suburbs". =The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
6. "Conquer The Overlook Stair Climb, Overall Finish List, September 06, 2014" (PDF). Retrieved August 29, 2015.
7. "Conquer the Overlook Stair Climb, Overall Finish List, August 22, 2015". Retrieved August 29, 2015.

External links

• Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, California Department of Parks and Recreation