Culver City, California, was the dream of Harry Culver who in 1913 envisaged a balanced city. The city was incorporated in 1917. The studios formed the economic base followed by industries such as Helms Bakery and Western Stove. In the 1920s and 30s, during prohibition, the city was filled with nightclubs and bootleggers, followed by car dealerships during the War years of the 40s.
Over the years Culver City, has grown in size to 5 square miles, with its own school district, and in 2000 it had 40,000 residents.
In the 1990s there was a rebirth of downtown with one of the highest concentrations of fine art galleries in Southern California. This and the vairety of dining led the New York Times in 2007 to call it a "nascent Chelsea."
Culver City has an Historic Preservation Program which, in 1990, listed 124 structures as "Landmark", "Significant" or "Recognized." There are also three designated historic districts. Among the landmark properties are:
The Culver Hotel was built by Charlie Chaplin and Harry Culver, the founder of Culver City, who had his offices there. There is a legend that Charlie Chaplin sold the hotel to John Wayne for $1 in a poker game.
Helms Bakery was the official bakery for the 1932 Olympics. Dozens Helms trucks delivered all over the City and beyond, and in the days without freeways the trip could take four hours or more. Like the ice-cream trucks, the Helms trucks would stop at homes with a Helms sign and blow a whistle-like sound so people would run out of their houses or chased the truck down the street. Helms' bread became the first bread on the moon, traveling on Apollo 11. The Helms building is now a series of showrooms, art galleries and restaurants.
Culver Studios is a colonial-style movie studio finished in 1918. The studios were the home for Gone with the Wind, the front of which served as the front for Tara, Scarlett O'Hara's home. In 1991 it became part of Sony Pictures who sold it in 2004
The Culver Theater was built in 1945 in late Moderne style. The theater has changed hands several times and is now the Kirk Douglas Theater home of the Center Theater Group.
The old Fox Hills Mall was bought, renovated to the tune of $180M, and reopened in October '09, boasting an array of new stores, quality restaurants with street front retail and patio dining.
Although the number of Culver City homes sold, dropped significantly from a year ago, the median price increased 39% and the number of homes under contract also, increased 38%. Days on the market dropped by 84% and the months supply of inventory dropped by 22%. This is good news for the area.
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31 as a family-owned bakery, it is now the center of modern furniture and design stores. The architectural integrity of the old building still remains.