Artists surreptitiously install tea house at Griffith Park

Rob Hayes Image
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Artists surreptitiously install tea house at Griffith Park
A tea house has risen from the ashes of a 2007 fire in Griffith Park and now sits on a ridge in Mount Bell. The tea house was manufactured by an anonymous group of artists who placed it there overnight, almost as if by magic.

GRIFFITH PARK, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Drivers headed to Griffith Park for a hike are used to seeing forks in the road, but it's the 80-square-foot tea house on the trail that may leave them stumped.

A tea house was surreptitiously built by a group of anonymous artists earlier this week without permission from the city of Los Angeles. It offers the unparalleled view of the San Fernando Valley from the edge of Mount Bell.

The workmanship of the Japanese-style structure overlooking the city is inspirational.

"This is unbelievable, just looking at the craftsmanship is pretty amazing," North Hollywood resident Kimo Easterwood said.

Dozens of wooden shingles sporting wishes or inspirational messages adorn the tea house. Visitors are urged to write their own wishes and hang the shingles up inside the tea house.

It remains unclear how long the tea house will remain at Griffith Park as city officials are already eyeballing the unpermitted structure.

The artists are asking the public to tweet their support to L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and help them keep the tea house in Griffith Park.