Business May 08

Business

May 2008

[ FOCUS ON THE ADVERTISER ]

Griffith Park Clubhouse
Come for the View, the History
or the Wings
By Heather Downie, Ledger Contributing Writer

monterey

GRIFFITH PARK—A year ago, the Griffith Park wildfires crept closer and closer to the table and outdoor patio where Kyle Koestner is now sipping a cold schooner. Behind him, 90 degree heat beats down on golfers taking their turn in trying to get out of a nearby sand pit.
“There was definitely a moment when I thought we would lose everything,” said Koestner, the owner of the Griffith Park Clubhouse.
While many Angelenos worried the fires would destroy the Griffith Observatory or Zoo, few desperately waited to hear about the fate of the Clubhouse. Sadly, far too many people—locals included—did not and do not know the place exists, even with its rich history and killer chicken wings.
   The Griffith Park Clubhouse is a restaurant and bar located just past the William Harding golf course pro shop. It consists of two large Spanish revival rooms, a banquet hall and a second large sitting room filled with vaulted beam ceilings, panoramic windows and walnut floors. Outside, two huge patios overlook the course.
When Koestner and his partner took over the clubhouse six years ago, they transformed it from a business in a state of disrepair into a fully restored restaurant. They improved the menu, pulled out tired carpet to expose walnut floors and pulled down drapes to let the light in through huge windows.
   The Clubhouse was rebuilt in 1937 at the request of then President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The original clubhouse had been destroyed by fire in 1933.
   In its history, the clubhouse has seen a number of high profile visitors. Walter Alston, who managed the Dodgers first in Brooklyn and then in Los Angeles from 1954 to 1976, would stop by to grab a drink and debrief big games with the waitresses. Sixteen year old Tiger Woods won a junior championship there. And has legend has it, Babe Ruth was notified that he had been traded to the Yankees while playing on the course. To this day, actors and politicians still play the links. So do “golfers, non-golfers, old and young… and lots of hipsters” said Koestner.
   Koestner surveys the view from the clubhouse’s patio. “Sitting here now, you would never guess that a fire almost ripped through here,” he said.
   The Clubhouse is located at 4730 Crystal Springs Dr., next to the William Harding Golf Course. www.montereyconcessions.com