Eastlake Park boathouse, aka Lincoln Park, 1908

1908, Eastlake Park boathouse, aka Lincoln Park, the counter to Westlake west of Downtown LA. Thanks to Tom Anderson @ Los Angeles.

I asked a few members of the family back on April 6, 2023 if they had any recollection of Lincoln Park or its previous iteration of Selig Zoo.

Anyone recall Dad talking about going to the Sellg Zoo in Lincoln Park?  I ask because he would occasionally drive past Lincoln Park on Valley Blvd coming out of Downtown from Main Street and then head north on Soto to Huntington Drive back in the day.  He'd reminisce often about Lincoln Park and how he used to work at the County Hospital. as a volunteer changing bed pans.  Oh, what fun.  But that was Dad's civic spirit.  I presume that was pre-WWII.

1937, Two palms frame this view of the Boathouse on the Lincoln Park Lake.  Thank you to LAPL.

John Whitney's comment is excellent.

East Lake Park was dedicated on August 18th, 1883, and soon after the park and lake infrastructure and buildings were developed including the conservatories and boathouse, which features a square tower, arched windows and covered walkways. In 1917 the name changed to Lincoln Park. The park deteriorated in the 1960s and the boathouse was threatened with demolition but a grass routes effort led to the development of a cultural center in 1984 called Plaza de la Raza around the restored boathouse, today called the Boathouse Gallery. In 2000 the boathouse was determined eligible for listing in the National Register and was listed on the California Register. Fishing is still permitted and the lake is stocked with trout, but no boating or swimming is allowed. The former site of the demolished carousel is Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #153.

Two palms frame this view of the boathouse on Lincoln Park Lake.

Photo by Schultheis, Herman Made accessible through a grant from the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation

Pam Petronio writes, 

In 1874 the City of Los Angeles purchased the 46 acres making up East Los Angeles Park; it was officially dedicated seven years later, in 1881. By 1901 it had become a major amusement center for the people of Los Angeles, and it was at this time that the name was changed to Eastlake Park. In 1911 William Selig opened a zoo on the northern edge of the park, and this became one of the main attractions; in 1914 a carousel was added, which drew 150,000 riders a year; and a short while later, an arboretum was erected on the premises that housed a large greenhouse (hothouse) with rare and exotic plants. On May 19, 1917, the City Council responded to a petition from nearby residents and renamed it Lincoln Park, named after Lincoln High School. On April 21, 1976 the carousel was designated Historic Cultural Monument No. 153 by the City of Los Angeles, but was destroyed just a few months later. 

Portion of the lake at Lincoln Park, once known as Eastlake Park, located in the Lincoln Heights area of Los Angeles. Many people can be seen gathered along the shore possibly looking at boaters (not visible at this angle), while others keep cool by resting on the grassy areas, which are shaded by large eucalyptus, pine, and palm trees. The boathouse that is visible on the right of the photograph, and would eventually become Plaza de la Raza.

1971, Lincoln Park Boathouse. Thank you to LAPL. This is what I remember from driving past Lincoln Park Lake with my Dad back in the late 60s, early 70s.