Foster Park Lion Entrance Markers, March 2021. Source: Google Maps.
Ventura County Landmark No. 34: Foster Park Lion Entrance Markers
Historical Background
These majestic stone lions sit atop 10-foot-high pillars on both sides of Casitas Vista Road, just beyond Foster Park. The north lion was dedicated in 1907 to “E.P. Foster and Wife”; the south marker was dedicated in 1908 to “Eugene C. Foster Memorial Park”. The markers were constructed of either Sespe sandstone quarried from the nearby hillside or of brownstone mined in the Ventura River bluffs. (Weinstock, 1990).
Eugene, the son of E.P. and Orpha Foster, died at age six. Ventura County pioneers and philanthropists, Eugene Preston Foster and Orpha Wood Foster gave Foster Park Bowl and Foster Park, a 205-acre park, to the County. E.P. Foster initiated the County park system concept in 1904 and helped establish several parks in the County. Over the years, the markers have been worn due to weather and vandalism, including the loss of one of the lion’s faces.
Foster Park Bowl
The nearby Foster Park Bowl, a gray concrete amphitheater built in 1928 in a small ravine, rises against the hillside and is shaded by 50-foot-tall live oak trees (Weinstock, 1990).
The bowl, which cost $1,300 to construct, can seat about 1,000 people (Weinstock, 1990). The plans were proposed by Sadie Brown, a local real estate agent; it was designed by Roy Wilson, a Santa Paula architect. On May 7, 1930, the bowl opened to a capacity crowd attending a community sing. The first symphony concert held in Ventura County was presented at the bowl in 1936 by the Santa Barbara Symphony (Weinstock, 1990). Until the 1960s, the open-air auditorium regularly was the scene of plays and concerts, until falling into disuse and later disrepair (Weinstock, 1990).
Additional Reading and Viewing
- The Story Behind the Photo: Foster Park Lion Entrance Markers
- “A look back at Foster Park,” VC Star, August 8, 2018
- “Foster Park, R.I.P.: The little town, abandoned in 1965 to make way for California 33, may be gone but it’s not forgotten,” Los Angeles Times, September 10, 1992
- “E. P. Foster Succumbs in Ventura: Pioneer Banker and Civil Benefactor Dies at Home at Age 83 Years of Age,” Los Angeles Times, February 13, 1932
References
Weinstock, Carol (September 11, 1990). “Landmarks: County Historical Sites.” Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-09-11-me-389-story.html.
Date Designated: July 1977
Location: On either side of Casitas Vista Road at the east end of Foster Park Bridge; Casitas Vista Road exit off Highway 33 between Ventura and Casitas Springs.
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