Burbank History

Historic Sites

Burbank City Hall
275 East Olive Avenue

Burbank City Hall continues to play a central role in the community as it did when it was first opened. Ground breaking for Burbank City Hall was on February 17, 1941. City Hall was designed by architects William Allen and W. George Lutzi and funded by the Federal Works Agency, Works Project Administration (WPA). Completed in 1943 at a total cost of $409,000, City Hall was both modern in design and functional in construction. In 1996, Burbank City Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places.  To learn more about City Hall, please visit the City Hall page.

U.S. Post Office
125 East Olive Avenue

(photo and information coming soon)

Bob's Big Boy
4211 Riverside Drive

(photo coming soon)

Built in 1949, Burbank's Bob’s Big Boy continues to be as popular now as it was when it first opened. As the third restaurant built in the chain and the oldest one surviving, the Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank epitomizes the best of coffee shop architecture and brings back memories of the 1950s car culture. Bob’s Big Boy was placed on the State of California’s Register of Historic Places.

Portal of Folded Wings
Valhalla Memorial Park

The structure known as Portal of Folded Wings was originally built as the entrance to Valhalla Memorial Park in 1924. Buried beneath the dome of Portal are the following engineers of aviation: Bertrand B. Acosta, Walter Brookins, Mark M. Campbell, Col. Waren S. Eaton, W. Bertrum Kinner, A. Roy Knabenshue, Elizabeth McQueen, John Moisant, J. Floyd Smith, Carl B. Squier and Charles Taylor. The name “Portal of Folded Wings” was formally bestowed upon the structure on December 17, 1953.