Edmund D. Edelman Children’s Courthouse
Dedicated in 1992, this was the first courthouse in the nation designed to meet the emotional needs of children. Edelman secured the funding to build the courthouse and played a hands-on role in the design of the building, which is full of play areas and toys, as well as courtrooms where judges sit at the same level as children.
Department of Children and Family Services
Until 1984, services for abused and neglected children were handled in the adult Department of Public Social Services. With the help of dedicated members of the community, and after testimony from impassioned advocates, Edelman was able to bring forth the necessary votes on the Board of Supervisors to create a separate department focusing on the issues and needs of children.
Edmund D Edelman Hollywood Bowl Museum
Edelman proposed and found funding for the conversion of a little used tea-house into a museum displaying rotating exhibitions of the Hollywood Bowl’s rich history. Situated just south of the amphitheater, the museum is also used for cultural events and performances of chamber music.
Edelman Westside Mental Health Center
Recognizing the need for quality mental health services on the Westside after the closure of an earthquake damaged Santa Monica Mental Health Clinic, Edelman secured funding and approval from the Board of Supervisors to create what has become a nationally renowned mental health center. The center, which was named in his honor following his retirement from the Board, provides the highest level of mental health services to the community, as well as training to medical school residents and graduate school interns.
Edmund D. Edelman Summit Valley State Park
Edelman is credited with rescuing this huge parcel of open space from developers by arranging a compromise between the owners of the land and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. This compromise was said to occur after a 72-hour meeting, organized by Edelman, in which participants were discouraged from leaving the meeting until a deal had been brokered. The land, which was designated a state park, was named in his honor after his retirement from the Board of Supervisors.
EDE Atrium at George Page Museum
Edelman worked with George Page in the eighties to help him realize his dream to create a museum displaying the prehistoric animals that had perished in the area of the La Brea Tar Pits. Community opposition had blocked construction of the museum until Edelman worked out a creative solution in which a grassy park was designed on the site and designated for the community’s beloved kite flying. A plaque in the atrium is inscribed in his honor.
Edelman Stage at Ford Theater
Decaying and in peril of demolition, the historic Pilgrimage Theater was “taken out of mothballs” by Edelman in the eighties. He and his staff enlisted the help of designers and architects to create a rustic outdoor space for concerts, light opera and theater. Renamed at Edelman’s suggestion in honor of his revered predecessor on the Board of Supervisors, John Anson Ford, this theater is now a thriving venue. The stage was later named in his honor.
Edelman Stage at Bing Theater at LACMA
Recognizing the imminent demise of the free concert series at Barnsdale Park in the eighties, Edelman arranged for the relocation and reorganization of the series at LACMA’s Bing Auditorium. Within a short period of time, it became one of the most popular music series in the region, regularly filling the 500 person capacity auditorium. The stage was named in his named in his honor in 2009.