Sale may revive moribund Grand View
After several years in real-estate limbo, Grand View Memorial Park is undergoing some improvements after being sold in May, and an announcement about its future is expected to be released in three weeks, according to management.
The cemetery, built in 1890, was sold for $890,000 to Vancouver-based Heritage Cemetery Management Inc., according to documents at the Los Angeles County Recorder’s Office.
The inking of the deal comes nearly a decade after a state investigation discovered 4,000 people were improperly buried there and visiting hours became less and less frequent.
A lawsuit filed in 2005 alleged previous ownership had mishandled and improperly disposed of about 4,000 cremated remains.
The site was shut down for a year after the remains were found and reopened with a new operator, but it closed again due to financial struggles.
A $3.8-million class-action settlement was reached in 2010 with the former owners. Over the past several years, Grand View Memorial Park, located at 1341 Glenwood Road, has only been open on Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.
During its once-a-week visitation day, the memorial park is staffed by volunteers.
The owners of Hollywood Forever Cemetery stepped in as prospective buyers in 2011, but nothing ever came of that potential deal.
In May, Moshe Goldsman, the most recent owner, transferred the deed over to Heritage Cemetery Management, Inc.
Goldsman’s attorney, David Baum, did not return phone calls or emails for comment.
Reginald Duran, current president of Grand View Memorial Park, confirmed the transaction during a phone interview.
He said the cemetery is undergoing some refurbishing and expects to be ready to talk about its future plans in about three weeks, but he would not comment further.
One of the volunteers at Grand View is Lisa Burks, who also founded the cemetery’s website.
She said she is happy to hear about the sale and has an idea of what’s to come.
“I think people can look forward to Grand View becoming a normal cemetery again,” she said.