Glendale has changed dramatically since Marie Fish and her family moved to the city in 1941.
Brand Boulevard was known to many in the past as the block where families watched movies, not a shopping hub.
With nearly six theaters on the strip, Hollywood’s elite flocked to the city to premiere movies.
“It was the movie street,” she said.
To get more details about the city’s past, Fish and her friends joined more than 70 other history buffs Saturday morning for “A Glendale History Walk.”
The city’s Park, Recreation and Community Service Department, the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition and the Glendale Historical Society hosted the morning walk that stopped at 14 landmarks throughout downtown Glendale.
The walk was created to promote pedestrian safety and health as part of the city’s Safe and Healthy Streets plan, said Colin Bogart, a bicycle coalition representative who is working with the city.
Bogart also helped organize a history bicycle ride in April.
“We want people to make sure there is a pedestrian element,” he said.
The walk and bicycle ride, Bogart said, were good opportunities for residents to get out of their homes and roam their community, as well as learn details about the city’s past.
“It’s a win-win situation for everybody,” he said.
Each event has brought out a new set of people who chose to either ride or walk, Bogart said.
“It’s a good cross-section of the community,” Fish said.
The first stop on the walk was the Chess Park on Brand Boulevard.
Rios Clementi Hale Studios built the park in 2004 for nearly $540,000, said Arlene Vidor, a historical society board member.
“It’s 4,500 square feet of chess mania,” she said.
Recycled canvas and concrete were among the materials used to create the park.
The park won the recognition of the American Society of Landscape Architects, earning the General Design Award of Honor, Vidor said.
“This is a unique feature in Glendale, and it will be a historical landmark one day,” she said.
Walkers also stopped by the YMCA of Glendale on the 100 block of Louise Street.
The facility was built in 1926 by the firm of Jay and Rogers.
Nearly $275,000 in 1924 was raised to construct the building, which would have been $3 million today, according to the historical society.
Faranak Van Patten moved to Glendale in 1968, and even then it wasn’t as bustling as it is now.
“Everything around here closes after 6,” she said.
VERONICA ROCHA covers public safety and the courts. She may be reached at (818) 637-3232 or by e-mail at veronica.rocha@latimes.com.
