Stoneview Nature Center

Stoneview Nature Center is a county-operated garden and educational facility in Culver City, California along the Park to Playa Trail.[1]

Stoneview Nature Center
Stoneview Nature Center
Map
Location5950 Stoneview Dr., Culver City, CA 90232
Coordinates34°00′52″N 118°22′35″W / 34.01444°N 118.37639°W / 34.01444; -118.37639
Area5 acres (20,000 m2)
Established2017
Administered byLos Angeles County
Paths.25 mi (0.40 km) fitness loop
HabitatsCoastal sage
ParkingDedicated lot, limited street parking
Public transit accessBaldwin Hills Link, Culver CityBus route 5
Websiteparks.lacounty.gov

The nature center building and gardens are part of a “transformation of a five-acre brownfield site in the Baldwin Hills neighborhood of Culver City, California.”[2] The main building, designed by Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects, is 4,000 square feet (370 m2) and features community space, a meeting/classroom, an outdoor kitchen, and bathrooms.[2]

The park, which has a focus on native California and edible plantings, includes a raised-bed Mediterranean demonstration garden, a native grass meadow, and installations by the contemporary art collective Fallen Fruit.[3][4] The edible landscaping includes oranges, avocados, figs, grapes, lemons, blackberries, and blueberries, and less-familiar California native edibles including lemonade berry, coffee berry and prickly pear.[1][5]

Edible plantings and picnic table

Fitness equipment and workout classes are offered at the park. Stoneview is a key segment of the 13 mi (21 km) Park to Playa Trail; “good views of L.A. are guaranteed on the dirt-and-paved track from Baldwin Hills to Playa del Rey.”[6][7]

The center operates an apiary in partnership with HoneyLove as well as a furnishing an elaborate hotel for native bee, both as part of a public outreach campaign on the importance of pollinating insects.[8]

Housing for mason and carpenter bees

Stoneview was recommended by local public-radio station KCRW as an outdoor refuge during the pandemic.[9]

The land was previously a primary school campus from 1956 to 2010, and was acquired by the Baldwin Hills Regional Conservation Authority in 2011. [10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Peleg, Oren (2017-06-14). "Enjoy Figs, Grapes, And Lemonade Berries At This 5-Acre Park In Culver City". LAist. Archived from the original on 2021-07-30. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  2. ^ a b "Stoneview Nature Center". Architect. Archived from the original on 2022-08-04. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  3. ^ "Americans for the Arts: Stoneview Nature Center". 2018. Archived from the original on 2022-09-14. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  4. ^ "From Brown to Green with Tasty Eats!". MIG. 2019-06-28. Archived from the original on 2021-11-27. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  5. ^ Wei, Clarissa (2017-06-13). "This Art Group Installs Pick-Your-Own-Fruit Parks Around Los Angeles". NPR. Archived from the original on 2022-08-04. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  6. ^ Donloe, Darlene (2020-07-29). "Conservancy keeps Baldwin Hills looking natural". Wave Publications. Archived from the original on 2022-08-04. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  7. ^ Forgione, Mary, and Matt Pawlik. "50 SIMPLY FABULOUS HIKES; make this Your Bucket List for all Southern California Hiking has to Offer." Los Angeles Times, Mar 14, 2021.
  8. ^ "Stoneview Nature Center Sanctuary Apiary". bondaccountability.resources.ca.gov. Archived from the original on 2022-08-04. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  9. ^ "Enjoying nature while social distancing: It's easier and safer than you think". KCRW. Archived from the original on 2022-08-04. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  10. ^ Scupine (2013-08-19). "LA County Considering Building a Nature Center in Blair Hills Area of Culver City – Culver City Times". culvercitytimes.com. Archived from the original on 2013-08-28. Retrieved 2022-08-04.