Culver City |
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History of Culver CityCulver City has been occupied for more than 8,000 years, originally by Tongva-Gabrieliño Native Americans. After the Spaniards arrived it was known as Rancho La Ballona, and Rancho La Cienega commemorated today by the creek and boulevard of the respective names. The city as we know it was established by Harry Culver who named it after himself in 1913. The city was incorporated on September 20, 1917. A year later the first film studio was built there by Thomas Ince. Silent film producers Hal Roach and MGM, arrived in 1920. In the years since many films were shot in and around the studios and on the city streets including Gone with the Wind, The Thin Man, Citizen Kane, Rebecca, the first King Kong, Grease, Raging Bull, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, City Slickers, and Air Force One. Television shot locally included, Gunsmoke, Cougar Town, Mad About You, Lassie and Batman. Today audience tickets are readily available through Sony Pictures for Deal or No Deal, Wheel of Fortune, The Bonnie Hunt Show, and Jeopardy During prohibition, speakeasies and nightclubs dotted Washington Boulevard. When I first moved to town, Culver City remained faithful to its convention flaunting past because it was one of the few areas in Los Angeles County that legally sold fireworks. One building that has survived from prohibition is the city’s 1924 “skyscraper,” in the center of downtown, the Culver Hotel. It was designed by Culett and Beelman, the same firm responsible for New York City’s Park Plaza. The wedge-shaped six story Renaissance Revival hotel is one of the rare Southern California buildings with a brick exterior. That kind of construction literally fell out of favor after the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake. The hotel’s interior is richly appointed with mahogany and walnut. Many cast members of “The Wizard of Oz” including the Munchkins, stayed there. Clark Gable, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Red Skelton, Buster Keaton and Ronald Reagan were also guests. John Wayne won the hotel in a poker game, later donating it to the Los Angeles YMCA. Description of Culver CityCulver
City probably has the best climate in Los Angeles County.
It’s close enough to the Pacific to be cooled by ocean breezes, yet
frequently escapes the gray skies caused by the marine layer in
Venice. It is surrounded on most sides by the City of LA with some of
the border touching unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County.
Culver City’s most famous business is Sony Pictures Studios, the former home of Metro Goldwyn Mayer where all the famous MGM musicals were shot. Culver City is also the West Coast headquarters of National Public Radio, NPR. Culver City runs a clean burning natural gas fueled bus line. The city is handy to Los Angeles International Airport. The Expo light rail line will soon whisk commuters to downtown LA. Culver city is in the midst of a concerted effort to make itself more bicycle and pedestrian friendly with a coordinated master plan. Residents of Culver CityCulver City has a population of
39,000. The city is 59% white, 24% Latino, and 12% black with a
median income of $52,000. The city has its own school district. West
Los Angeles College is a two year school just over the border in
unincorporated Baldwin Hills.
Rentals in Culver CityThere is
no rent control. The housing stock tends to be older. One bedroom
apartments begin at $1100 a month. Rentals in Culver City range in price to well above $2000 per month depending largely on amenities and age of the property.
Fun Things to do Culver CityIt is possible to get a tour of Sony Pictures studio, the old MGM lot where gone with the wind was shot as well as the swimming pools where “America’s Mermaid,” Ester Williams performed. Today the historic Culver Hotel is a great place for a relaxing drink. It hosts a lively New Year’s Eve celebration. Culver City has come a long way from its decline in the 1960’s and 70’s. The influx of many art galleries and restaurants caused The New York Times in 2007 to dub it a "nascent Chelsea." The old power station on Venice Boulevard is now a legitimate theater, the home of Tim Robbins' Actors Gang. Another venue for live plays is the Kirk Douglas Theater. The Jazz Bakery is a non profit performance space that routinely books top musicians like Mose Allison. There are several first run movie theaters in town. Two houses of worship of architectural note are the King Fahd Mosque, which can hold more than 2,000 Muslims. It’s easily recognized by its brilliant blue dome and 70 story minaret. St. Augustine’s 75 year old Catholic Church is in the Mediterranean – Gothic style and can accommodate 1200 worshippers. Shopping abounds from the Fox Hills Mall, to healthy gourmet foods at Trader Joe’s and Sprouts and the weekly farmer's market.
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