Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles was designed by John C. Austin and Frederic M. Ashley, based on preliminary sketches by Russell W. Porter. It was funded through the will of Griffith J. Griffith. Construction began on June 20, 1933, and it opened on May 14, 1935, at an elevation of 1,135 feet (346 m).
The infobox lists Greco-Roman and Art Deco, while the text describes Greek and Beaux-Arts styles with Moderne influences. A central planetarium dome sits between east and west domes holding a 12-inch Zeiss refractor and a solar telescope. Hugo Ballin murals and a Foucault pendulum are in the rotunda.
It closed on January 6, 2002 and reopened on November 2, 2006, after a $93 million renovation that replaced the planetarium dome and expanded the exhibits underground. It is Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 168. Admission is free, planetarium shows carry a fee, and it is closed Mondays.
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