The History of West Los Angeles
Today, mention of the Westside brings to mind palm lined boulevards, hillside estates and a coastline that stretches from Venice to the Palisades. The story of how it got here is one of visionary developers, Hollywood glamour and neighborhoods that each kept their own character.
Ranch land
Long before Sunset Boulevard, much of the Westside was open ranch land that ran from the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains toward the Pacific. Early twentieth century developers saw what it could become: a place where the city met the coast, with room for gardens, estates and a gentler pace of life.
1905
Abbot Kinney opened Venice of America in 1905, complete with canals, arcades and a seaside promenade inspired by its Italian namesake. Venice joined the City of Los Angeles in 1926. Today its remaining canals, walk streets and craftsman homes make it one of the most distinctive neighborhoods on the coast.
1914
The Rodeo Land and Water Company laid out Beverly Hills in the early 1900s, and the Beverly Hills Hotel opened in 1912. The city incorporated in 1914 and quickly became home to the film industry's brightest names. Its palm lined streets, Golden Triangle and world famous Rodeo Drive still define Los Angeles luxury.
Early 1900s
Brentwood Park was planned in the early twentieth century with curving streets and landscaped traffic circles, an unusual design for Los Angeles at the time. Around it, Brentwood grew into a leafy residential community anchored by San Vicente Boulevard and Brentwood Village.
1923
Oil businessman Alphonzo Bell founded Bel Air in 1923, carving winding roads into the hills above Sunset and creating a private, gated residential park. It remains a place of hillside estates, mature landscaping and sweeping canyon and city views.
1920s
Developed in the 1920s on land from the estate of Arthur Letts, Holmby Hills was named after Holdenby, his birthplace in England. Together with Beverly Hills and Bel Air it forms the celebrated Platinum Triangle of Los Angeles estates.
Carolinne was raised on the Westside and knows its neighborhoods street by street. Start with a conversation about where you would like to live or invest.
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