The observatory is a popular tourist attraction with a close view of the Hollywood Sign and an extensive array of space and science-related displays.

Since its opening, over 9 million people have looked through the 12-inch (30.5 cm) Zeiss refracting scope, making it the most viewed telescope in the world.

Griffith's objective was to make astronomy accessible to the public, as opposed to the prevailing idea that observatories should be located on remote mountaintops and restricted to scientists.

In drafting the plans, he consulted with Walter Sydney Adams, the future director of Mount Wilson Observatory, and George Ellery Hale, who founded (with Andrew Carnegie) the first astrophysical telescope in Los Angeles.

[5] As a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project,[6] construction began on June 20, 1933, using a design developed by architects John C. Austin and Frederic Morse Ashley (1870–1960), based on preliminary sketches by Russell W.

The $93 million renovation, paid largely by a public bond issue, restored the building, as well as replaced the aging planetarium dome.

The building was expanded underground, with completely new exhibits,[10] a café, gift shop, and the new Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater.

A team of animators, directed by observatory art director Don Dixon who also co-wrote the script, worked more than two years to create the 30-minute program.

The Wilder Hall of the Eye, located in the east wing of the main level focuses on astronomical tools like telescopes and how they evolved over time so people can see further into space.

Interactive features there include a Tesla coil and a "Camera Obscura", which uses mirrors and lenses to focus light onto a flat surface.

The main centerpiece of this section is a large solar telescope projecting images of the Sun, using a series of mirrors called coelostats.

The Gunther Depths of Space Hall is the lower level of the observatory, dominated by "The Big Picture," and scale models of the Solar System.

Einstein is holding his index finger about 1 foot (0.30 m) in front of his eyes, to illustrate the visual area of space that is captured in The Big Picture.

The Edge of Space Mezzanine, which overlooks the Depths of Space Hall, focuses more on astronomy related topics that involve celestial bodies much closer to Earth, with exhibits including meteorite displays, an asteroid impact simulator, cloud and spark chambers, a large globe of the Moon, and telescopes that allow inspection of The Big Picture from a distance.

[18][19] Ovington, who would go on to fame as an aviator, ran a company which built high voltage generators for medical X-ray and electrotherapy devices.

Ovington, who died in 1936, gave the matching Tesla coils to his old electrotherapy colleague Frederick Finch Strong, who in 1937 donated them to Griffith Observatory.

In poor weather, the roof may be closed to the public, but if still accessible under overcast skies, the Zeiss Telescope can still be visited as an exhibit during viewing hours.

[21] There is a small parking lot next to the Observatory, plus more spaces along Western Canyon Rd, which require payment of $8–10 an hour, depending on the season.

[20] There are photo opportunities and scenery at and around the Observatory, with views of the Pacific Ocean, the Hollywood Sign and Downtown Los Angeles.

The observatory was featured in two major sequences of the James Dean film Rebel Without a Cause (1955), which helped to make it an international emblem of Los Angeles.