Culver City founder Harry Culver was born Jan. 22, 1880, in Milford, Neb. His parents, Ada and Jacob Culver, raised their four sons and daughter on the family farm. Although Jacob Culver’s military background contributed to his children’s disciplined lives, Harry also became a very creative young man. He worked taking in laundry in college and he and his father partnered in a bottled water business. According to his daughter, Pat Culver Battle, the experience served as a valuable life lesson: to keep the controlling interest of any business venture.
A circuitous route brought Harry Culver through Manila, Philippines to California in 1910. He received real estate training working for real estate developer I.N. Van Nuys. His visionary commercial expertise yielded a “balanced city” that was destined to carry his name.
A 1926 publication called “Saturday Night” recognized that Culver “had the vision, all right, plus energy, ability and grim determination, all of which personal attributes he sold to the owners of the acreage which later became Culver City.” In reference to the difficult times of the period and the then state of the nation, the publication said: “That was a period in his career which called for all the pluck, grit and persuasive powers of the transplanted Nebraska boy, who had earned his way through college by taking any honest job which presented itself.”
Of Culver’s ingenuity, the publication said: “The number of stunts he pulled off in his various selling campaigns and their variety would astound any New Englander, but to the Western man, they are only amusing evidences of a fertile and resourceful brain.”
Many have attested to the creative ways in which Culver attracted people to his town – the “free lunch,” bus rides to the new city site, the marathon and prettiest baby contest, for starters. Patricia Culver Battle maintained that her father simply “knew what people wanted.” Culver is quoted in the aforementioned article, saying, “What seems to attract people…is something moving.”
Culver loved the movies and married actress Lillian Roberts, who was under contract with movie pioneer Thomas Ince. This was after he convinced Ince to build the first movie studio in his city, (Ince/Triangle Studios, Goldwyn, Metro-Goldwyn Mayer, MGM-UA, Lorimar, Columbia, now Sony Pictures Studios). The movie studios served as a part of the city’s planned economic base.
Following is a little bit of Harry Culver trivia to celebrate his birthday, gleaned from his daughter’s memories:
- Culver’s early success allowed him to move to a mansion in Cheviot Hills designed by a young architect named Wallace Neff.
- His favorite foods included apple pie, soufflé and beige bacon crisp.
- He liked his plates warm and his butter cold.
- He required eight hours sleep a night, so Mrs. Culver would take care of the guests if he had to retire to bed.
- Harry’s middle name was Hazel.