Promenade Realtors  800/760-4001 x111

 

Culver City, CA
 
Culver City History

Spanish Explorers claimed California in the 1500s but it wasn't until 1769 that King Carlos III of Spain mandated colonization. Father Junipero Serra then began to establish missions, which functioned as the center of activities from San Diego upward, between 1769 and 1823. The Native Americans in this area traversed this valley in search of food. Because of their proximity to the San Gabriel Mission, (est.1771), they were called The Gabrielinos.

In 1781, a nearby settlement began as "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles". Early families that settled in La Ballona Valley came on different expeditions. Francisco Salvador Lugo, for example, came on Rivera's 1774 trip from Sinaloa, Mexico, and was one of the soldiers present at the founding of the pueblo of Los Angeles in 1781. He and his descendents served in different places before they arrived in this valley. Another soldado, Jos? Manuel Machado and his wife, Maria, traveled from Sinaloa, Mexico on the Rivera expedition of 1781. Machado continued to serve as a soldier in different locations until he retired to the pueblo of Los Angeles in 1797. Jose Machado's death in 1810 forced the sons to provide for the family's future. Agust?n and his brother Ygnacio Machado, after unsuccessful attempts to acquire land near the pueblo, decided to settle in this valley and raise cattle on Rancho La Ballona which they established in 1819 with two partners, Felipe Talamantes and his son Tom?s. Landgrants became confused under Spanish and Mexican rule, and eventually California won independence, becoming our 31st state in 1850. Culver City was formed from portions of the 14,000 acre Rancho La Ballona (Machado/Talamantes property) and Rinc?n de Los Bueyes (Higuera/Lopez property).

It was Harry H. Culver, from Milford, Nebraska, who dreamed of a balanced city. He started plans for the city that carries his name in 1913, and it became an incorporated entity in 1917. He established the city in a temperate zone, along a transportation route, alongside railroad tracks, halfway between the growing pueblo of Los Angeles and Abbot Kinney's resort of Venice. Culver City began to do the business of developing itself, as a 1.2 square mile area, centered about our little Main Street. In the early days of the city, the trustees concentrated on the actions necessary to form the city. City tracts and streets were named and paved, a numbering system was adopted, and employees hired to take care of the business of the city. The Fire and Police Departments were established. The economic balance had begun, with the studios forming the early economic base. Industry came in the form of Western Stove in 1922, then the Helms Bakeries in 1930, and then the Hayden Industrial Tract was established in the 1940s. Prohibition spawned a plethora of night spots and bootlegging in the 1920s and 1930s, with World War II stalling growth in the 1940s. Car Dealerships replaced the night spots on Washington Boulevard in the 1950s.

Over the years, more than forty annexations increased city size to about five square miles. Culver City transitioned from a general law city to a charter city in 1947. In addition to city government, schools became a part of the community, and by 1949, Culver City had its own Unified School District, meaning that education was available through secondary school. The five-member Board of Education governs Culver City's public schools just as the five member elected City Council governs the city. Other elected city officials include the City Clerk and City Treasurer. By 1971, the City Council became aware of the need for redevelopment, and formed the Culver City Redevelopment Agency. The first major project accomplished under the Agency was the Fox Hills Mall, which opened in 1975. Redevelopment is ongoing. By the year 2000, the city had quadrupled in size and became a community of nearly 40,000 residents. Movie and television production

MGM Studios (now Sony Pictures Studios), 1922. Hundreds of movies have been produced on the lots of Culver City's studios: Sony Pictures Studios (originally MGM Studios), Culver Studios, and the former Hal Roach Studios. These include The Wizard of Oz, The Thin Man, Gone with the Wind, Citizen Kane, Rebecca, the Tarzan series, and the original King Kong. More recent films made in Culver City include Grease, Raging Bull, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, City Slickers, Air Force One, Wag the Dog, and Contact. Television shows made on Culver City sets have included Las Vegas, Gunsmoke, Cougar Town, Mad About You, Lassie, Batman, Arrested Development, The Andy Griffith Show, Jeopardy!, The Nanny, and the syndicated version of Wheel of Fortune. John Travolta's "Stranded at the Drive-In" sequence in Grease was filmed at the Studio Drive-In on the corner of Jefferson and Sepulveda. It served as a set for many other films, including Pee-wee's Big Adventure. The theater was closed in 1993 and was demolished in 1998; it is now a housing subdivision featuring large homes on small lots, as well as being home to the Kayne-ERAS center, a school and community center for the disabled and mentally challenged.

Sony Pictures Plaza - Present day

Main entrance to Sony Pictures Entertainment lot. Culver City's streets have been featured in many films and television shows. Since much of the architecture has not changed in decades, particularly in residential areas of town, the nostalgic sitcom The Wonder Years set many of its outdoor scenes in the neighborhoods of Culver City. The 1970s show CHiPs also featured many chase scenes through the streets. The Nicolas Cage film Matchstick Men included scenes made at Veterans Memorial Park, which was also featured in the opening scenes of the sitcom The Hogan Family.

The Aviator, a film about Howard Hughes, featured several mentions of Culver City in connection with Hughes. The Hughes Aircraft Company plant had a Culver City mailing address but was actually in the adjacent Los Angeles neighborhood of Westchester at a site now called Playa Vista. Scenes from Bewitched (2005) with Nicole Kidman and Will Farrell were also filmed in the Culver City streets. The 2005 film, Fun with Dick and Jane, starring Jim Carrey was filmed there. The closing aerial sequence of Get Shorty (1995) starring John Travolta and Danny DeVito is also filmed in Culver City, at the Sony Studios. Additionally, scenes of "Superbad" (2007) starring Jonah Hill and Michael Cera were filmed in areas surrounding Culver City High School.

Decline of the studios (1960s and 1970s)

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2009) In the late 1960s, much of the MGM back lot acreage (lot 3 and other property on Jefferson Boulevard), and the nearby 28.5 ac (11.5 ha) of the somewhat inaccurately named "back forty", once owned by RKO Pictures and later Desilu Productions, were sold by their owners. In 1976, the sets were razed to make way for redevelopment. Today the "back forty" is the southern expansion of the Hayden Industrial Tract, while the MGM property has been converted to a subdivision and a shopping center known as Raintree Plaza.

Rebirth of downtown (1990s and 2000s)

Sony Pictures Entertainment office building in Culver City. In the 1990s, Culver City launched a successful revitalization program in which it renovated its downtown as well as several shopping centers in the Sepulveda Boulevard corridor near Fox Hills Mall. Around the same time, the relocation of Sony's motion picture operations (known as Columbia Pictures)[14] to the former MGM studios at Washington Boulevard and Overland Avenue brought much-needed jobs to the city.

The influx of many art galleries and restaurants to the eastern part of the city, formally designated as the Culver City Art District, prompted The New York Times in 2007 to praise the new art scene and call Culver City a "nascent Chelsea."

Culver City bus in transit

The first phase of the Expo line, a light rail line from Downtown Los Angeles to a terminal station at the Culver Junction near Venice and Robertson Boulevards in Culver City started in 2006, with an estimated completion date in 2012. The line mostly follows the right-of-way the Pacific Electric Santa Monica Air Line used. The intent of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority is that the line eventually be extended westward to Santa Monica, again mostly along the existing right of way. Culver City Bus currently operates bus service within Culver City.

The city is served by the Los Angeles International Airport, which is located about 7 miles (11 km) south of the city.


Points of interest

- Historic Helms Bakery on Washington Blvd. - now a center for restaurants, art galleries, the Jazz Bakery (a jazz club), and furniture sales rooms.

- Culver Hotel: A 1924 landmark pie-slice-shaped hotel in downtown. Many of the cast of The Wizard of Oz stayed here during filming of the movie in 1939. The hijinks of that period, including the hotel's being taken over by the "Munchkins," were featured in the 1981 movie Under the Rainbow. Formerly owned by John Wayne, the hotel has housed many stars including Clark Gable, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Red Skelton, Buster Keaton and Ronald Reagan.

- Sony Pictures Plaza: This unusual, cantilevered building was featured as the headquarters of Wolfram & Hart, the demonic law firm that was the chief nemesis in the TV Show Angel. The building is across the street from the main gate of Sony Studios, which is at 10202 W. Washington Boulevard (occupying the former MGM Studio facilities).

- Star Eco Station is an environmental science and wildlife rescue center; the STAR ECO Station houses exotic animals that have been abandoned or confiscated and teaches learners of all ages about the environment. At 10101 W. Jefferson Blvd., it offers organized tours.

Local landmarks

- St. Augustine Catholic Church on Jasmine Avenue. Heritage Fountain at Culver City Hall.

- King Fahd Mosque, which can accommodate more than 2,000 worshippers and features a minaret that is more than 70 feet (21 m) in height.

- Veterans Memorial Building at Veterans Park; tower is 122 feet (37 m) high.

- Holy Cross Cemetery is the final resting place to John Candy, Sharon Tate, Bela Lugosi, and punk legend Darby Crash. Nazli Sabri, mother of King Farouk, was also buried there (she had converted to Catholicism in 1950).

Museums and the arts

- The Actors' Gang at the Ivy Substation (within the Palms district, city of Los Angeles, but on long-term lease to Culver City).

- Culver City Art District: A cluster of more than 30 contemporary art galleries in the vicinity of Washington and La Cienega Boulevards.

- Culver City Public Theatre: presents an annual summer season of free, outdoor, classical theatre in beautiful Dr. Paul Carlson Memorial Park, at the corner of Motor Avenue and Braddock Drive (near the 405 and 10 Freeways) in Culver City, CA as well as a yearly tradition of presenting theater for young audiences, the Children's Popcorn Theatre. All performances are held during the summer on Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m., with the Childrens Popcorn Theater performance at noon.

- Kirk Douglas Theatre, featuring the Center Theater Group

- The Museum of Jurassic Technology

- The Actors Circle

Recreation

- Ballona Creek bicycle path

- Culver Boulevard Median bicycle path, a greenway featuring bicycle and pedestrian trailways.

- Culver Ice Arena is a public ice skating rink.

Neighborhoods

- El Marino Park

- Beverlywood West

- Blair Hills

- Blanco

- Carlson Park

- Clarkdale

- Culver Crest

- Culver West

- Downtown Culver City

- Federal Park

- Fox Hills

- Hayden Tract

- Helms District

- Higuera

- Lucerne

- Jefferson

- McLaughlin

- McManus (East Culver City)

- Park East

- Rancho Higuera

- Studio Estates

- Studio Village (Lindberg Park)

- Sunkist Park (El Marino)

- Telefson Park

- Veterans Park (Park West)

- Veterans Park

The city is surrounded by the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Mar Vista, West Los Angeles and Palms to the north; Westchester to the south; the Baldwin Hills and Ladera Heights unincorporated areas to the east; and the L.A. neighborhoods of Venice and Playa Vista to the west, along with the unincorporated area of Marina Del Rey. The two primary ZIP codes for Culver City are 90230 and 90232. Because ZIP codes do not necessarily follow city boundaries, a portion of Culver City is in the 90066 ZIP code, which also serves some of the Mar Vista neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles.

The major geographic feature of Culver City is Ballona Creek, which runs northeast to southwest through most of the city before it drains into Santa Monica Bay in Marina Del Rey.

Culver City is served by the San Diego, Santa Monica, and Marina freeways.



Education

- Primary and secondary schools
Culver City has its own school district, Culver City Unified School District. It has five elementary schools, a middle school, two high schools (regular and continuation), a Community Day School, an Office of Child Development, and an Adult School. In addition, there is an Independent Study program where students of elementary, middle school, or high school age can make a weekly appointment to drop off and pick up homework, which is to be completed throughout the week.

STAR Prep Academy, a private middle and high school, was established in 2004 and shares its campus with the STAR ECO Station, an exotic wildlife rescue center. It is one of the few schools in the United States in which students have the unique opportunity to work with exotic and endangered animals on a daily basis as part of their school-day curriculum.

- Colleges and universities West Los Angeles College, located in an unincorporated section of Los Angeles County adjacent to Culver City,[35] is part of the Los Angeles Community College District. Antioch University Los Angeles is also located in Culver City, off Slauson Avenue. Additionally, Culver City is home to Pepperdine University's Graduate School of Education and Psychology and Graziadio School of Business and Management, located in the Howard Hughes Center.

- Other
The Los Angeles County Probation Department's Training Academy is housed on the campus of West L.A. College. Culver City is the location for the Los Angeles area campus of the Gemological Institute of America as well as Culver Beauty College and the Biofeedback Institute of Los Angeles.
 
North Hollywood
 
 
Studio City
 
Studio City is located in the southeast section of the San Fernando Valley. Highway 101 is the major freeway linking the area to Hollywood and the western valley. Access to other parts of the city is also provided by Laurel Canyon Boulevard, Coldwater Canyon Avenue and Ventura/Cahuenga Boulevards. Ventura Boulevard is where the bulk of its commercial activity resides. The area, like many parts of L.A., has seen a great deal of tear-down building, with large mansionized monoliths replacing the original scope and character of single-family homes in neighborhoods. Nearby, the historic Sportsmen's Lodge is also threatened with eventual redevelopment. However, negotiations among the Los Angeles Conservancy, Studio City Neighborhood Council, Studio City Residents Association, and the facility's owner have led to the suggestion of public review before any planned alterations to this site. The Studio City Recreation Center (also known as Beeman Park) is in Studio City. It has an auditorium, barbecue pits, a lighted baseball diamond, lighted outdoor basketball courts, a children's play area, picnic tables, unlighted tennis courts, and many programs and classes including the 2nd largest youth baseball program in the public parks. Moorpark Park, an unstaffed pocket park in Studio City, has a children's play area and picnic tables. Woodbridge Park on the eastern border of Studio City with a children and toddler's play area. Wilacre Park, an unstaffed park, is in Studio City. In addition Studio City has the Studio City Mini-Park, an unstaffed pocket park. Studio City is zoned to Los Angeles USD schools. Carpenter Avenue Elementary School, Rio Vista Elementary School, Walter Reed Middle School, and North Hollywood High School serve the community. Carpenter Avenue Elementary School, Rio Vista Elementary School and Walter Reed Middle School are in Studio City. North Hollywood High School is in Valley Village. Studio City is also home to private schools Campbell Hall Episcopal School, Oakwood School's Elementary School campus, Harvard-Westlake School's Upper School as well Bridges Academy, a private middle and high school for gifted students with learning disabilities.