In the mid-1800's, this area was a swampland. MacArthur Park, created in the 1880s under the name Westlake Park, was later renamed in honor of General Douglas MacArthur. By the 1890s, it was a vacation destination surrounded by luxury hotels; in the early part of the 20th Century, the area became known as the Champs Elysees of Los Angeles. MacArthur Park has been designated City of Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument #100. View of a statuary group located in MacArthur Park, showing General Harrison Grey Otis, a soldier, and a newspaper boy, sculpted by Paul Troubetzkoy in 1920. The plaque embedded on the rock that General Otis stands on reads: "General Harrison Grey Otis. 1837-1917. Soldier, Journalist, Friend of Freedom. Stand Fast, Stand Firm, Stand Sure, Stand True". Originally, there were three figures (those pictured), but the soldier has since been lost, apparently hit by an automobile, and placed in storage at the Otis Art Institute.
Otis, Harrison Gray,--1837-1917 Monuments--California--Los Angeles Statues--California--Los Angeles Parks--California--Los Angeles Troubetzkoy, Paul Westlake (Los Angeles, Calif.) MacArthur Park (Los Angeles, Calif.)
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