Happy New Year! 2013 is a significant milestone in the history of Culver City. It marks the 100th anniversary of Harry H. Culver’s announcement of his intent to establish our city! His famed speech took place at the California Club in the city of Los Angeles.
The Nebraska-born Culver went to work for I. N. Van Nuys when he arrived in this locale in 1910. In many interviews with his daughter, Patricia, the Culvers’ only child, she pointed out that her father “learned the ropes of real estate” locally from Van Nuys. When Mr. Van Nuys offered Mr. Culver a management job in his firm, it made Culver stop and think…..and rather than take the advancement, he decided to establish his own firm. His daughter appreciated that he spent a full year looking at the area and found this location to be his choice spot. Why this area? The weather was temperate, and it was half way between the growing City of Los Angeles and Abbot Kinney’s resort of Venice. Venice reportedly had the ability to grow toward LA and LA would to grow to meet Venice.
The railway system was a reality and Culver also noted how this region was being served by several main thoroughfares. Culver’s ads had leading phrases like “All Roads Lead to Culver City.” Others pointed to the placement of Culver City between LA and Venice, which left space for Los Angeles to grow in to us, as we grew out to the already established city.
Culver had already filed Main Street with the County in 1913. His company and the Washington Improvement Company (Camilo Cereghino) had purchased 1.2 square miles around Main Street.
Another factor in the mix was the unicorporated area known as Palms. In 1914, an election was called to determine if the areas of Culver City and Palms would become independent cities. Palms voted to keep their status quo, but Culver City voted to become an incorporated city on its own. Culver City’s actual incorporation date became September 20, 1917.
The Culver City Historical Society Archives and Resource Center(ARC) has a special display on Harry Culver. Located at the back of the Veterans Memorial Building, 4117 Overland Avenue, open this month are Saturdays, January 5, 12, and 19, 1-3PM– admission is free. For Culver’s speech in its entirety, see the city website, www.culvercity.org, under city history -accessed on the section on Harry Culver.
PHOTO CAPTION: One of Harry Culver’s creative ads, with his own home pictured in the “home city” portion. A book of Culver’s ads is on display at the CC Historical Society Archives and Resource Center(ARC).