Culver City Timeline: A Work in Progress

1769

• King Carlos of Spain mandated colonization of California

1771

• Mission San Gabriel was established

1780

• José Manuel Machado was recruited, married María de la Luz in the new cathedral in Los Alamos

1781

• José Manuel and María Machado came north from Sinaloa, Mexico on a Rivera expedition
• The pobladores and soldados walked from San Gabriel Mission to establish the pueblo of Los Angeles

1819

• Agustín Machado claimed Rancho La Ballona with brother Ygnacio, and Felipe and Tomás Talamantes; permit issued for grazing rights

1822

• Ygnacio Machado began grazing cattle on Centinela Springs
• Mexican rule of California began

1834

• Ygnacio Machado built Centinela Adobe

1839

• Grant of La Ballona approved (cattle, horses grazed, grapes grown for wine)

1849

• California Gold Rush
• Ygnacio Machado traded Centinela for a home at the pueblo

1850

• California Statehood

1865

• La Ballona School was constructed (wood frame building)
• Agustín Machado died

1868

• court order to partition La Ballona

1869

• The first transcontinental railroad was completed–western isolation ended

1874

• Saenz Family Dry Goods Store (Overland Avenue/Washington Boulevard– Machado Post office within)

1878

• Ygnacio Machado died

1880

• Harry Culver was born in Milford, Nebraska

1883

• The Figueroas donated land to build St. Augustine’s, the first church (completed in 1887), in what became Culver City

The early 1900s

1905

• Abbot Kinney founded nearby “Venice of America” as a resort

1907

• Ivy Substation constructed- converted current for the electric cars on Venice

1910

• Harry Culver arrived in California, worked for I. N. Van Nuys

1913

• Harry Culver announced his plans for a city at the California Club in Los Angeles
• Culver filed Main Street with the Los Angeles County Recorder on property (downtown was on the border of Ranchos La Ballona and Rincón de los Bueyes)

1914

• Palms voted to become a part of Los Angeles
• Culver City remained independent (by vote)

1915

• Thomas Ince built the colonnade as the entry to Ince/Triangle Studios at what is now Washington Boulevard at Jasmine Avenue

1916

• Culver City Grammar School opened with six rooms (later rebuilt and renamed Linwood E. Howe Elementary School)
• Culver City Grammar School PTA was formed (Mrs. D. Coombs, first president)

1917

• Culver City was incorporated on September 20, (September 8 election, ordered August 13 by Board of Supervisors)
• First Board of Trustees (council) took office: R. P. Davidson, Dan F. Coombs, Walter Edwards, V. R. Day, B. J. Higuera. City Clerk : Chas. F. Shillito, Treasurer: C. N. Rosenthal.
• Resolution #1: provided for appointment of a city attorney at $50/month
• Resolution #4: leased upper floor of the theater, located on the Culver Hotel site, for city offices, at $15 per month (published in the Culver City Call newspaper)

1918

• Ince/Triangle Studios became Goldwyn Studios
• Resolution #11: “In accordance with government conservation, discontinue illuminated sign over City Hall” until general condition of the county improved
• Resolution #16: established entire city as one voting precinct;polls at City Hall
• Resolution #19: appointed R.P. Davidson as Building Inspector, Plumbing Inspector, City Electrical Inspector at $25 per month
• Resolution #26: City Treasurer’s salary was fixed at $10 per month
• Resolution #31: fixed the tax rate at $1 per $100 as assessed by county assessor.
• Resolution #37: Harry H. Culver appointed as Trustee to fill term of Clyde W. Slater
• Resolution #38: Paul R. Cowles appointed as City Engineer.

1919

• Resolution #41: Official City map adopted (defining streets, roads, avenues, highways, alleys)
• Resolution #50: Manuel Saenz appointed Chief of Fire Dept. at $10 per month
• Resolution #57: appointed Dr. Foster Hull as the second City Health Officer, replacing Mortensen.
• Resolution #58: appointed City Clerk, Katherine Megary, as Janitor of the City Hall at $25 per month
• Thomas Ince founded Thos. Ince Studios, his second Culver City studio (today 9336 Washington Boulevard)
• Hal Roach built his studio, the “Laugh Factory to the World” at 8822 Washington

The 1920s: Culver City was notorious for its nightlife

1920

• April election: 37 votes cast
• Culver City Woman’s Club established
• Council authorized the city painter to paint “Culver City” on the roof of six buildings on Main Street
• City adopted a plan for numbering houses and buildings
• Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors changed the Palms School District to Culver School District

1921

• Chamber of Commerce was founded; incorporated in 1923
• City authorized a sewer system be constructed

1922

• Western Stove signaled the beginning of industry in CC
• Pacific Military Academy was founded on Washington Boulevard by Harry Culver; later moved to Cheviot Hills
• City Council changed meeting location to Van Buren Place
• Resolution #175: City Attorney was authorized to petition the state for a permit to run a muncipally owned bus line between Culver City and the City of Los Angeles
• Resolution #246: dancing prohibited in cafes, restaurants after 11:00 p.m.
• Resolution #250: City Attorney directed to take immediate legal steps because of City of Los Angeles’ failure to abate nuisance in Ballona Creek.

1923

• Culver City Lions Club established
• Steller and Skoog Hardware was founded on Main Street (closed 2008)

1924

• Resolution #423: City authorized a water works system, estimated cost $325,000
• Thomas Ince died; wife Elinor took over Ince Studios temporarily
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (M-G-M) merger
• Hotel Hunt (later became the Culver Hotel) was constructed by Culver; his offices occupied the first two floors
• Special election authorized a franchise to Speedway Corporation of Los Angeles to construct an auto race course in Culver City (now Carlson Park area); 50,000 attendees on December 14 opening

1925

• Legion Building was constructed as a meeting hall over the first swimming pool
• Hull Building constructed as first hospital
• De Mille Studios dedicated (formerly Ince Studios–9336 Washington Boulevard)
• Washington Building constructed (now on National Register)
• Washington School was opened on McManus Street
• City executed a lease agreement with Camilo and Marie Louise Cereghino for a library building.

1927

• Cecil B. DeMille was appointed “Special Police Officer”
• Council approved action of the Parks Board and Art Commission to name the first park “Victory Park” (now Carlson Park)
• First land accepted by the City for Lindberg Park; second acquisition1938
• Bonded indebtedness passed for Propositions I (City Hall- $126,000) and II (Fire Station $59,000)
• Ordinance #239: (third reading) changed Del Rey to Culver Boulevard
• U. Barnett was appointed as first School Crossing Officer
• First Street was changed to Overland Avenue

1928

• City Hall at 9770 Culver Boulevard was dedicated
• Culver City’s municipal bus line was founded (State’s second oldest)
• A City Planning Commission was created
• City Council established a bus and transportation system
• City Council took action to prohibit gambling
• DeMille Studios became Pathe Studios

1929

• Citizen Building constructed by the Donovan family (publishers of The Citizen Newspaper)
• City Council (Board of Trustees) joined the Lions Club, local citizens and state in an effort to prevent the invasion of the Mediterranean Fruit Fly
• Chamber of Commerce supported the notion of a municipal airport
• City moved Council meetings from Van Buren Place to the new City Hall at 9770 Culver Boulevard
• City Council officially refused “gypsies” a business license at 7024 Washington Boulevard
• Lantana became the official city flower, by Council action
• City Clerk notified the School Board that the City Council donated a room in the City Hall to be a dental clinic for school children

The 1930s: The Great Depression

1930

• Culver Boulevard ornamental street lights installed, Ince to Jackson
• Pathe Studios became RKO-Pathe Studios in a merger
• Helms Building constructed; occupied by 1932 (designated a city Landmark structure)

1931

• Beacon Laundry constructed (Significant structure- Zig Zag Moderne)

1932

• Olympics held in Los Angeles; Helms Bakeries supplied bread to the nearby Olympic Village in Baldwin Hills
• Culver City Kennel Club granted a permit for canine racing at 13455 Washington Boulevard

1934

• City Yard at Jefferson & Duquesne purchased for $4,000

1935

• Army Corps of Engineers concreted the sides of Ballona Creek
• RKO-Pathe sign was changed to Selznick International Studios

1936

• City Seal (3rd and current one) adopted with pictorial of city flower (Lantana), movie industry camera equipment, a rising sun, and California Golden Bear, along with the city motto, “The Heart of Screenland”, and 1917 date of incorporation.
• MGM purchased land on Jefferson for outdoor sets (beginning of Lots 3-6)

1937

• The Hollywood and Culver City Chambers of Commerce held a “Bury the Hatchet” ceremony

1938

• The “little people” came to Culver City to film The Wizard of Oz
• First land acquired as “Exposition Park;” now Veterans’ Memorial Park

1939

• Major Releases: The Wizard of Oz and Gone With The Wind
• McManus Park land purchased by the City

The 1940s: Hal Roach Studios made training films and became known as “Fort Roach.” Ronald Reagan, Alan Ladd amogst those stationed there.

1943

• Selznick International Studios suspended operations

1944

• Culver Palms YMCA was established

1946

• After a long lease arrangement, RKO-Pathe purchased the “40 acres” back lot

1947

• Culver City became a charter city
• Betsy Ross, Farragut, and La Ballona Schools became a part of Culver City when the charter was approved

1948

• Western Hemisphere Marathon founded
• Studio Drive-In constructed
• Land acquisition began for West End Park; now Culver West Park

1949

• Culver City became a unified school district (Kindergarten through 12th grade)
• Chamber president, Adolph Steller, promoted an industrial tract–The Hayden Tract

The 1950s

• Car dealerships were “the thing” on Washington Boulevard
• Culver Center opened as the city’s first major shopping center
• The Sister City Program was established (an Eisenhower People-to-People program)
• The Lugo Ranch, at Jefferson Boulevard and Cota Street), was sold and became Studio Village Shopping Center

1950

• Veterans Memorial Auditorium cornerstone laid
• National Guard Armory, a cooperative city-state venture, was dedicated on city property
• Plans realized for a Junior and Senior High School
• Farragut School opened

1951

• Fiesta La Ballona was founded
• Culver High opened its doors in January
• Veterans Memorial Building dedicated
• Plunge opened

1952

• Baldwin Hills and Crank Annexation #1, which became Culver Crest
• El Rincon School was built on land donated by developer, R. J. Blanco
• Blanco Park dedicated
• El Marino Elementary School was opened

1953

• The Culver Judicial District boundaries were determined by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
• Culver High’s first class graduated

1954

• City purchased property from C. Cereghino for El Marino Park

1955

• City passed first Charter Amendment

1956

• Culver Municipal Court established

1957

• Desilu Productions used their Hollywood studios and 9336 Washington Boulevard

1958

• San Diego Freeway was dedicated by Governor Edmund G. (Pat) Brown on the bridge over Washington Boulevard
• Culver City Guidance Clinic was established, an outgrowth of the Culver City Coordinating Council

1959

• Linda Vista School in Blair Hills opened

The 1960s

1963

• Hal Roach Studios Inc. closed its doors; (now the Landmark Industrial Tract)
• The Baldwin Hills dam broke

1964

• Fox Hills was annexed to Culver City
• Robert Frost Auditorium was completed
• Culver City established its first Sister City relationship (Uruapan, Mexico)

1965

• First condominiums were built in the city (Studio Village Townhouses)
• Temple Akiba broke ground on Sepulveda Boulevard
• Kaizuka, Japan, became Culver City’s second sister city

1967

• Mayor Dan Patacchia received a loving cup from Mrs. Harry Culver at the City’s 50th anniversary celebration
• Second City Charter Amendment was passed
• Doris Hechinger composed first city song: “Culver City”

1969

• Helms Bakeries closed its doors

The 1970s: MGM divested itself of properties and props (was reduced to the main lot) and Culver City got a new library on Overland Avenue.

1970

• Desilu became Culver City Studios

1971

• Culver City Redevelopment Agency was formed
• Hazelton Avenue was renamed Kinston Avenue

1972

• Culver City opened the Senior Citizens and Community Center in the old library
• Naradel requested approval to develop a community shopping center on west 22 acres of MGM Lot. #2- approved and later disapproved

1974

• Kaizuka (sister city) made a gift of a Japanese Meditation garden in front of the Culver City Library

1975

• Fox Hills mall opened
• CCRA established first Project Area Committee (citizens) under new state law

1977

• Culver City Studios became Laird International Studios

1979

• Sunrise (later Culver Park) High School opened

The 1980s: During this decade, four elementary schools were closed owing to declining enrollment

1980

• Culver City Historical Society founded
• Ground broken for the first of three phases of 40 acre Culver City Park

1981

• Graffiti Removal Program began as a public/private partnership
• Culver City Education Foundation was founded to support CCUSD after Prop 13 cut funding

1983

• Iri City (now Iksan City), Korea became the third sister city relationship

1984

• Summer Olympics in Los Angeles (2 miles of the Men’s and first Women’s Marathon were in Culver City)

1985

• “Filmland” building was completed (later Sony Pictures Plaza)
• Marilyn Freiden Clark composed the second city song, “Our Culver City.”

1986

• Lorimar bought the MGM Studio Lot
• Gannett purchased Laird International Studios and renamed it The Culver Studios

1987

• “Direction 21” involved the community in strategic planning
• Sunrise High School became Culver Park High School

1988

• City Council established an Art in Public Places program

1989

• Lethbridge, Canada sister city relationship established
• Council established a Historic Preservation Advisory Committee

The 1990s

1990

• Lorimar lot acquired by Sony; became Columbia Pictures, then Sony Pictures

1991

• Council adopted CCMC Chapter 38, a historic preservation ordinance and designated structure in protected categories (i.e. Landmark, Significant)
• Charette addressed the vision of “Downtown Culver City”
• Sony Studios Executive Arnie Shupack announced that beginning with “Hook” and “Bugsy,” the credits of movies made in town would read: “Filmed in Culver City”
• The Culver Studios became a part of the Sony Pictures Entertainment family

1992

• Culver City celebrated its 75th anniversary; Hal Roach acted as Honorary Chairman; Kickoff was in January (as Mr. Roach turned 100)
• MGM moved from Filmland to Santa Monica
• Sony Pictures Entertainment moved into Filmland; it became Sony Pictures Plaza
• Watseka Parking structure opened
• Syd Kronenthal Park dedicated (renamed from McManus 4/21)

1993

• Fire Station 1 closed February 22nd; flag was taken down and paraded to new station opening a block away
• Yanji City, China established sister city relationship with Culver City
• Ivy Substation redevelopment was completed
• President Clinton visited Culver City on October 5, for an American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) event on health care at Carlson Park
• Culver City and CCUSD boundaries became co-teminous with the annexation of Fox Hills to the school district

1994

• January 17, Northridge Earthquake damaged many Culver City historic buildings and residences
• One CCUSD elementary school (El Marino) was reopened as a language magnet, for Spanish and Japanese Immersion programs

1995

• June: dedication of new City Hall at 9770 Culver Boulevard

1996

• Downtown Redevelopment created a new look for the city
• Charter amendment passed to initiate term limits for city offices
• “Measure T,” school bond measure, overwhelmingly passed with 80%.
• Culver Hotel renovation was almost completed by Catlett
• City Council adopted Susan Gregory’s “Culver City, You’re a Star” as another official city song.

1997

• January 10: groundbreaking for the new Transportation Facility at Duquesne Avenue and Jefferson Boulevard
• City celebrated its 80th anniversary; first televised Council meeting aired September 20th
• November 10: groundbreaking for the renovation of the Police Station
• Second Charette was held on Downtown Culver City

1998

• City Hall Conference Room 1A was renamed to honor Mayor Emeritus Dan Patacchia, (April 6)
• Washington Streetscape was dedicated
• Culver City Woman’s Club placed an El Camino Real bell on Sepulveda and Jefferson Boulevards
• TLI, Inc. reopened The Culver Hotel
• Syd Kronenthal, Director of Human Services, retired
• The mosque on Washington Boulevard at Huron held a grand opening in June
• Studio Drive-In demolition; groundbreaking for redevelopment as The Classics at Heritage Park and Eras Center, (originally Machado property)
• Cardiff/Main Street parking structure broke ground
• CCRA area increased

1999

• Active Service Clubs include: Lions, Exchange, Rotary, Soroptimist, Optimist, Kiwanis
• Downtown’s Town Plaza went through the city approval process
• St. Augustine Church celebrated its 75th anniversary as a parish
• Japanese Meditation Garden at the Culver City Library 25th anniversary rededication
• Jody Hall-Esser retired, new CAO Mark Winogrond

2000

• Ground broken for new Senior Center at Overland and Culver
• Measure M defeated- April election (development issues)
• Town Plaza vested (entertainment complex)
• Congressman Julian Dixon died unexpectedly 12/8

2001

• The issues included the energy shortage, MTA- light rail/bus use of Exposition Right of Way, LAX expansion, and a fast tracking of a Baldwin Hills Power Plant
• January, rolling blackouts up north due to energy crisis spread south
• Culver City High School celebrated the 50th anniversary of opening
• St. Augustine School celebrated its 75th anniversary
• Culver City Library renamed CC Julian Dixon Library by the County Supervisors
• City Council Chambers named for former Mayor Mike Balkman who died 3/01
• Cultural Affairs Commission (5 members) established by City Council ordinance (combined Art in Public Places with Historic Preservation)

2003

• NPR West comes to Culver City
• Culver City Bus celebrated 75th anniversary
• New Senior Center opened (on part of old MGM Lot 2)

2004

• Kirk Douglas Theatre opened as a performing arts venue
• Sony sold The Culver Studios to PCCP Studio City Los Angeles

2006

• Culver City voted to change the city charter to a CAO form of government; changes will be enacted in two years.
• The “Boneyard” dog park is opened

2007

• Culver City’s permanent Skateboard Park opened

2008

• March: Culver CityBus, the second oldest municipal busline in the state celebrated 80 years of service
• April: the 2006 charter changes are complete, with new City Manager form of government and transition from elected to appointed City Clerk and City Treasurer.

Resources: files of the City of Culver City, Culver City Historical Society Archives, City Historian files. Honorary City Historian, Julie Lugo Cerra 2/99, revised 5/99, 5/2000, 8/2000, 9/2000, 12/2000, 2/2000, 6/2001, 7/01, 1-09

March 23, 2010 | Categories: Culver City History | 1 Comment »