Disney pledged $5 million on Nov. 17 to rebuild a community recreational park in Altadena, part of their $15 million total donation to support restoration efforts in the Los Angeles neighborhood.
When asked his thoughts on the reconstruction of Charles White Park after it was destroyed in the January Eaton fire, USC Architectural professor Scott Uriu said, “Anything is better than nothing.”
The Eaton fire began on Jan. 7 and spread to the surrounding Altadena neighborhood, consuming roughly 22 square miles. It spread throughout Altadena, an unincorporated section of Los Angeles County.
Charles White Park was named after a former Altadena resident and artist who focused on illuminating underrepresented African American community members, as well as famous Black civil rights activists in his pieces.
Some of his art can now be found at the Mary McLeod Bethune Public Library, the National Gallery of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
In addition to the donation, Disney announced in a press release that its team of creative architects, “Imagineers,” will be designing the park’s revamp. They will combine traditional Disney “magic” elements with those culturally relevant to Altadena, such as by building play structures modeled after the neighborhood’s native Deodar Cedar pinecones.
“It is about families. And I hope that we inspire the joy that returns to the community, but also the imagination and the creativity it will take to bring Altadena back,” Disney’s lead Imagineer Emily Dow said in a statement to ABC News.
Charles White Park is especially important in delivering an “equitable recovery” initiative, according to Helen Chavez Garcia, the communications director for Altadena’s L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger.
Rebuilding the park “is an essential way to make sure that people are seen culturally, that they are paid attention to, that they’re respected and that they’re prioritized in the recovery,” Chavez Garcia said.
Incorporating a cultural perspective is a relevant consideration, according to, Rob Berry, USC professor of architecture.
Disney wrote that they will incorporate some of the community’s identity into the designs via structures inspired by Deodar Cedar pinecones. However, after reviewing some of the mock designs the Imagineers released, Uriu was pessimistic about Disney authentically representing the history of the community.
“I think something that has a little bit more to do with Charles White and not just pine cones that are not in the vicinity of this area [of Altadena] at all,” Uriu said would be better incorporated.
Berry said that if the community doesn’t feel connected to the park, “They may neglect it.”
Construction is anticipated to be completed by 2026 for the park’s grand reopening, according to the company.
According to Uriu, the feasibility of this depends on the intensity of attention to detail and curation that the company invests, as well as how the $5 million donation is utilized.
“If you want it quickly and to cost X amount of dollars, the quality usually goes down — but if you want it high quality, and you want it in a very quick manner, then, typically, the cost is more expensive,” he said. “I will not argue with $5 million of improvement coming into that community, in that area. I think it’s fantastic. But…it’s quick.”
In addition to the $5 million donation from Disney for the reconstruction of Charles White Park, $60 million was pledged by a collection of philanthropic donors.
When it comes to selecting reconstruction projects in general, private donors and philanthropic groups specifically request their renovation and allocate funds toward it.
“They have very, very clear asks and wants about where they want to direct their dollars,” Chavez Garcia said. “So in this case, the way it worked is that you had different donors that contacted the county saying, ‘we want to fund parks, or we want to fund community spaces that are important to the community.’”
“Can that money be spent in other places?” Uriu posed rhetorically about Disney’s decision to focus on Charles White Park. “Heck, yes…But I think as the sort of public aspect of having an open park, that’s a pretty good choice for X amount of easy dollars versus, you know, infrastructure for future building.”
While the community impact remains unknown as construction is underway, Disney says Charles White Park will be rebuilt with the intent of regifting pride to Altadena.
“Even though you’re displaced, maybe you’re not living near the fire — maybe you are — it still gives you an opportunity for you and your family to come back and to feel like you are reconnecting tangibly to your community,” said Chavez.