Burbank Parks
Valhalla Memorial Park
The Portal of the Folded Wings, located in Valhalla Memorial Park, is a somewhat maudlin celebratory visitor spot, but it commemorates a cause close to Burbank’s heart: Aviation. The Folded Wings refer to deceased pilots and astronauts buried there. The invention of flight and the industry of aviation has been good to Burbank, and it’s likely someone living in Burbank, especially and old-timer, will have some connection to aviation. The Park is home to the Burbank Aviation Museum.
Burbank values its old-timers as historians and pathfinders. But the pathfinders who dared go in the air where nobody ever had before are laid to rest here in the Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery. Every child who grows up in Burbank, CA remembers their first sight of the Folded Wings Portal, its magical architecture, poetic composition, and sculptural lines.
The Rococo design and Beaux Arts structural influences of the quadruple arched Rotunda inspire awe, quiet, and appreciation of beauty. The primary components are stone and marble. The Portal of the Golden Wings is a national historic place, a shrine to the ideals of aviation in Burbank, California. As the planes from nearby Burbank airport fly overhead, the nod to Amelia Earhart and other great American aviators continues.
Outside the Portal, a model of the orbiter Columbia is mounted as a salute to more fallen aviators. Inside the past exhales into the warm Burbank air. While several twentieth century deceased aviators are honored, a plaque commemorating Amelia Earhart also lies in prominence. The interior dome has a star design, and the exterior has a mosaic design. The significance of the esteem the Burbank community has always felt for flight and aviators is reflected in its construction values.
Valhalla Park Address
Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery10621 Victory Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91606