It is always interesting to see the changes in a downtown, especially in your own hometown. Culver City began as 1.2 square miles centered about Main Street, which city founder Harry Culver filed with the county in 1913. That area, particularly in front of film producer Thomas Ince’s second studio in Culver City, now The Culver Studios, sits at the boundary line of the two Spanish Ranchos from which Culver City was carved: ranchos La Ballona on the west and Rincón de los Bueyes to the east.
The block across the street from the studio is now known as Parcel B, a candidate for redevelopment. It sits in the block east of Culver’s 1924 landmark hotel, which is now recognized locally and on the National Register of Historic Places. When the “Wizard of Oz” was in production in 1938, the “munchkins” stayed in the Culver Hotel, with the overflow across the street at the Adams Hotel (pictured). There was a bar/restaurant in the Adams Hotel known as Frank’s. It became well-known for its use in movie location filming.
A variety of businesses were located on the Washington Boulevard frontage of Parcel B. From a 1949 directory, beginning from the eastern corner listed are: 9305- Mint Café, 9309- Marvin Jewelers, 9311- Studio Camera Supply Co., 9315- Kitchen Variety Store, 9317- Movie Town Used Clothes Shop, 9321- Martins Café, 9325- T H Garland, barber, 9329- Studio Liquors, 9339- Studio Electric, 9345- New Shanghai Café, 9349- Coral Isle Café (later the famed Culver House, a restaurant/bar ), 9357- Studio Barber Shop, Studio Hat Shop, 9359- Yardage Shop, 9361- Lynn’s De Luxe Cleaners, 9371- Columbia Square Real Estate Co., Culver City Employment Agency, and several lawyers – L. J. Koos (who became a councilmember), H. J. Lindstrom, Daniel Malloy and W. C. O’Hara, with Frank’s Restaurant on the corner at Main.
The studio across the street was listed in 1949 as RKO Radio Pictures Inc. and Selznick International Studios. There was an alley running east-west known as Hogan’s Alley and on the Culver Boulevard side of the block, names like John McCarty Plumbing appear along with Gregory Printing. They faced The Citizen Building across Culver Boulevard.
La Ballona Restaurant started business on Washington Boulevard, was moved to Main Street by the Culver City Redevelopment Agency in the 1990s and just closed earlier this year. The Culver-Washington “X” is now gone, by action of the Culver City Council/Redevelopment Agency in the 1990s.
This week, the council and public saw four presentations for the redevelopment of Parcel B. And the winner will be…? It’s history in the making.