This five-acre, triangular park was originally part of the front lawn of the Beverly Hills Hotel, designed by Wilbur Cook in 1912. In 1915 the hotel donated the parcel to the city as Sunset Park, the first public park in Beverly Hills. The park and hotel were some of the first developments in the area. While the neighborhood around it flourished as the epicenter of the early 20th century film industry, the park became a popular meeting place for celebrities and the setting of several films.
Bounded by West Sunset Boulevard, North Canon Drive and North Beverly Drive, the park is divided by a double promenade flanked by mature palm trees and linear rows of low, clipped shrubs. The northern part of the promenade, near the Sunset Boulevard entrance to the park, wraps around a raised oval fountain and pond with koi fish and turtles, forming a small plaza. Symmetrical curvilinear paths extend from the plaza towards the park's corners, forming smaller garden spaces which are alternately planted with open lawn, a dragon tree, and clusters of roses, evergreen shrubs, and small flowering trees. The perimeter of the park is lined with more densely planted palm trees and narrower footpaths.
In 1952 the park was renamed for actor Will Rogers, who was named honorary mayor of Beverly Hills in 1926. In 1997 the city’s Recreation and Parks Department undertook the park's renovation that resulted in the removal of additions from the 1950s and a return to the park’s 1920s appearance.
