Beverly Hills, California

Early history

Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas c. 1905, when it was owned by Henry Hammel and Andrew H. Denker.

Gaspar de Portolá arrived in the area that would later become Beverly Hills on August 3, 1769, traveling along native trails which followed the present-day route of Wilshire Boulevard. The area was settled by Californio ranchera María Rita Quinteros de Valdez and her husband in 1828.[1] They called their 4,500 acres (18 km2) of property the Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas.[2] In 1854, she sold the ranch to Benjamin Davis Wilson (1811–1878) and Henry Hancock (1822–1883).[1] By the 1880s, the ranch had been subdivided into parcels of 75 acres (0.30 km2) and was being rapidly bought up by Anglos from Los Angeles and the East coast.[2]

Henry Hammel and Andrew H. Denker acquired most of it and used it for farming lima beans.[1][3] At this point, the area was known as the Hammel and Denker Ranch.[1] By 1888, they were planning to build a town called Morocco on their holdings.[1][4]

20th century

The Beverly Hills Hotel was the first substantial building project in what developed into Beverly Hills.

In 1900, Burton E. Green, Charles A. Canfield, Max Whittier, Frank H. Buck, Henry E. Huntington, William G. Kerckhoff, William F. Herrin, W.S. Porter and Frank H. Balch formed the Amalgamated Oil Company, bought the Hammel and Denker ranch, and began looking for oil.[1][5][6] They did not find enough to exploit commercially by the standards of the time, though.[6] In 1906, therefore, they reorganized as the Rodeo Land and Water Company, renamed the property "Beverly Hills", subdivided it, and began selling lots.[6][7] The development was named "Beverly Hills" after Beverly Farms in Beverly, Massachusetts, and because of the hills in the area.[5][6]

The Los Angeles Times reported on September 2, 1906:[8]

Percy H. Clark Company are managing the development of the foothill portion of the Hammel & Denker ranch for the Rodeo Land and Water Company (the Canfield-Huntington-Kerckhoff syndicate), to be known as Beverly Hills. No expense is being spared to make this a fine suburban district. . . . The property has been laid out on beautiful curved lines.

The Virginia Robinson Estate & Gardens, built in 1911 by the heiress of J. W. Robinson's, is open to the public.

The first house in the subdivision was built in 1907, but sales remained slow.[9]

Restrictive covenants

Beverly Hills was one of many all-white planned communities started in the Los Angeles area around this time.[10] Restrictive covenants prohibited non-whites from owning or renting property, unless they were employed as servants by white residents.[4]: 57 It was also forbidden to sell or rent property to Jews in Beverly Hills.[11]

Incorporation

Burton Green began construction on The Beverly Hills Hotel in 1911. The hotel was finished in 1912. The visitors drawn by the hotel were inclined to purchase land in Beverly Hills, and by 1914 the population had grown enough to qualify for incorporation as an independent city.[5] That same year, the Rodeo Land and Water Company decided to separate its water business from its real estate business. The Beverly Hills Utility Commission was split off from the land company and incorporated in September 1914, buying all of the utilities-related assets from the Rodeo Land and Water Company.[12]

Greenacres, a historic estate built in 1918 by silent movie star Harold Lloyd.

In 1919, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford bought land on Summit Drive and built a mansion, finished in 1921[13] and nicknamed "Pickfair" by the press.[14] The glamour associated with Fairbanks and Pickford as well as other movie stars who built mansions in the city contributed to its growing appeal.[13]

Water supply

By the early 1920s, the population of Beverly Hills had grown enough to make the water supply a political issue.[15] In 1923, the usual solution, annexation to the city of Los Angeles, was proposed.[2]: 65 There was considerable opposition to annexation among such famous residents as Pickford, Fairbanks, Will Rogers[16] and Rudolph Valentino.[17] The Beverly Hills Utility Commission, opposed to annexation as well, managed to force the city into a special election and the plan was defeated 337 to 507.[2]: 65

Beverly Wilshire Hotel, built in 1922 on Wilshire Boulevard.

In 1928, the Beverly Wilshire Apartment Hotel (now the Beverly Wilshire Hotel) opened on Wilshire Boulevard between El Camino and Rodeo drives, part of the old Beverly Hills Speedway.[18] That same year, oilman Edward L. Doheny finished construction of Greystone Mansion, a 55-room mansion meant as a wedding present for his son Edward L. Doheny, Jr. The house is now owned by the city of Beverly Hills and is a designated historical landmark.[19]

In the early 1930s, Santa Monica Park was renamed Beverly Gardens and was extended to span the entire two-mile (3-kilometer) length of Santa Monica Boulevard through the city. The Electric Fountain marks the corner of Santa Monica Blvd. and Wilshire Blvd. with a small sculpture at the top of a Tongva kneeling in prayer. In April 1931, the new Italian Renaissance-style Beverly Hills City Hall was opened.[9]: 9

Beverly Hills City Hall, built in 1932 in a California Churrigueresque style.1948 restrictive covenants found unenforceable

In the early 1940s, black actors and businessmen had begun to move into Beverly Hills, despite the covenants allowing only whites to live in the city. A neighborhood improvement association attempted to enforce the covenant in court. The defendants included prominent artists Hattie McDaniel, Louise Beavers, and Ethel Waters. Among the white residents supporting the lawsuit against blacks was Harold Lloyd, the silent film star. The NAACP participated in the defense, which was successful. In his decision, federal judge Thurmond Clarke said that it was time that "members of the Negro race are accorded, without reservations or evasions, the full rights guaranteed to them under the 14th amendment."[20] The United States Supreme Court declared restrictive covenants unenforceable in 1948 in Shelley v. Kraemer. A group of Jewish residents of Beverly Hills filed an amicus brief in this case.[21]

In 1956, Paul Trousdale (1915–1990) purchased the grounds of the Doheny Ranch and developed it into the Trousdale Estates, convincing the city of Beverly Hills to annex it.[22][23][24][25][26][27][28] The neighborhood has been home to Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tony Curtis, Ray Charles, President Richard Nixon, as well as, in later years, Jennifer Aniston, David Spade, Vera Wang and John Rich.[25][29][30]

The Beverly Hills Civic Center, built 1982–90, is a mix of Spanish Revival, Art Deco, and Postmodern styles.

In the late 1990s, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) proposed to build an extension of the Metro Red Line along Wilshire Boulevard and into Downtown Beverly Hills, but the city opposed it.[31]

21st century

In 2001, LACMTA then proposed a bus rapid transit route down Santa Monica Blvd., but this was also opposed by the city and never built. This stretch of road is served by less efficient Metro Rapid buses using pre-existing roadways.[31] By 2010, traffic in Beverly Hills and surrounding areas had deteriorated enough that the city's habitual opposition had largely turned to support for subways within the city limits.[32] As part of the D Line Extension project, the D Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail was intended in 2013 to be extended through Beverly Hills, adding two underground stations at Wilshire/La Cienega and Wilshire/Rodeo by the 2020s.[33]

Since the 1960s, Rodeo Drive has become one of the most expensive shopping streets in the world.

The city of Beverly Hills widely opposed Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot measure which repealed legal recognition of same-sex marriages. The proposition narrowly passed statewide, but in Beverly Hills, only 34% voted in favor, and 66% voted against it.[34]

In the midst of the 2015 drought, Beverly Hills was found to be one of the largest water consumers in California. As a result, it was asked by the state to reduce consumption by 36%, prompting many residents to replace their lawns with native plants. Meanwhile, the city government replaced the grass in front of the City Hall with Mexican sage.[35]

In September 2015, the City of Beverly Hills signed an agreement with Israel to work together on water use as well as "cybersecurity, public health, emergency services, disaster preparedness, public safety, counterterrorism and art and culture".[36]

In July 2016, the City of Beverly Hills received the Livability Award from the United States Conference of Mayors for its Ambassador Program, which takes care of the city's homeless population.[37]

The Beverly Hills Community Dog Park was dedicated on September 6, 2016.[38][39]

^ a b c d e f "History of Beverly Hills". City of Beverly Hills. Retrieved April 25, 2012. ^ a b c d Marc Wanamaker (November 16, 2005). Early Beverly Hills. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-3068-0. Retrieved August 17, 2012. ^ Joy Horowitz (July 19, 2007). Parts Per Million: The Poisoning of Beverly Hills High School. Penguin. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-670-03798-8. Retrieved August 17, 2012. ^ a b Michael Gross (November 1, 2011). Unreal Estate: Money, Ambition, and the Lust for Land in Los Angeles. Random House Digital, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7679-3265-3. Retrieved August 17, 2012. ^ a b c Alexander Garvin (June 19, 2002). The American City. McGraw-Hill Professional. p. 383. ISBN 978-0-07-137367-8. Retrieved August 18, 2012. ^ a b c d Marc Wanamaker, Early Beverly Hills, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 2005, pp. 17–18 [1] ^ Robert M. Fogelson (September 28, 2007). Bourgeois Nightmares: Suburbia, 1870–1930. Yale University Press. p. 186. ISBN 978-0-300-12417-0. Retrieved August 18, 2012. ^ "(Source requires subscription)". Los Angeles Times. September 2, 1906. p. 74 – via Newspapers.com. ^ a b Marc Wanamaker (October 18, 2006). Beverly Hills: 1930–2005. Arcadia Publishing. p. 69. ISBN 978-0-7385-4659-9. Retrieved August 18, 2012. ^ James W. Loewen (September 29, 2005). Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension Of American Racism. The New Press. p. 112. ISBN 978-1-59558-674-2. Retrieved August 19, 2012. ^ Andrew Wiese (December 15, 2005). Places of Their Own: African American Suburbanization in the Twentieth Century. University of Chicago Press. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-226-89625-0. Retrieved August 19, 2012. ^ Railroad Commission of the State of California (1919). Decisions of the Railroad Commission of the State of California. Superintendent of State Printing. p. 897. Retrieved August 18, 2012. ^ a b Robert Fishman (March 31, 1989). Bourgeois Utopias: The Rise And Fall Of Suburbia. Basic Books. p. 168. ISBN 978-0-465-00747-9. Retrieved August 18, 2012. ^ Karie Bible; Marc Wanamaker; Harry Medved (November 29, 2010). Location Filming in Los Angeles. Arcadia Publishing. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-7385-8132-3. Retrieved August 18, 2012. ^ Debra Ann Pawlak (January 10, 2012). Bringing Up Oscar: The Story of the Men and Women Who Founded the Academy. Open Road Media. p. 135. ISBN 978-1-4532-2618-6. Retrieved August 18, 2012. ^ Norma Zager (October 1, 2010). Erin Brockovich and the Beverly Hills Greenscam. Pelican Publishing. p. 141. ISBN 978-1-58980-810-2. Retrieved August 18, 2012. ^ Clarence Y. H. Lo (January 23, 1990). Small Property versus Big Government: Social Origins of the Property Tax Revolt, Expanded and Updated edition. University of California Press. p. 164. ISBN 978-0-520-05971-9. Retrieved August 18, 2012. ^ Linda Bauer; Steve Bauer (November 1, 2008). Recipes from Historic California: A Restaurant Guide and Cookbook. Taylor Trade Publications. p. 199. ISBN 978-1-58979-348-4. Retrieved August 18, 2012. ^ Scott B. MacDonald; Jane Elizabeth Hughes (February 28, 2009). Separating Fools from Their Money: A History of American Financial Scandals. Transaction Publishers. p. 100n. ISBN 978-1-4128-1054-8. Retrieved August 18, 2012. ^ Stephen Grant Meyer (October 1, 2001). As Long As They Don't Move Next Door: Segregation and Racial Conflict in American Neighborhoods. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 76. ISBN 978-0-8476-9701-4. Retrieved August 19, 2012. ^ Steve Sheppard (April 1, 2007). The History of Legal Education in the United States: Commentaries And Primary Sources. The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. p. 948n. ISBN 978-1-58477-690-1. Retrieved August 19, 2012. ^ Myrna Oliver, Lucy Doheny Battson, 100; Family Made Fortune in Oil, The Los Angeles Times, June 22, 1993 ^ Bonino, Mary Ann (October 4, 2018). The Doheny Mansion: A Biography of a Home. MaryAnn Bonino. ISBN 9780981642208. Retrieved October 4, 2018 – via Google Books. ^ Sloper, Don (October 4, 2018). Los Angeles's Chester Place. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738546872. Retrieved October 4, 2018 – via Google Books. ^ a b Erika Riggs, Elvis' Beverly Hills home goes on the market, NBC ^ Wanamaker, Marc (October 4, 2018). Early Beverly Hills. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738530680. Retrieved October 4, 2018 – via Google Books. ^ Ann Herold, Trousdale Estates Archived May 14, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Los Angeles, January 9, 2012 ^ "History and Other Facts". Trousdale Estates Homeowners Association. Retrieved August 24, 2014. ^ Max Feeney, Nixon at the Movies: A Book about Belief, Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press, 2012, p. 38 [2] ^ Lauren Beale, Hot Property: TV and film director John Rich lists Trousdale Estates home at $11.9 million, Los Angeles Times, June 6, 2011 ^ a b Schwieterman, Joseph P. (2004). When the Railroad Leaves Town: American Communities in the Age of Rail Line Abandonment, Western United States. Kirksville, Missouri: Truman State University Press. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-931112-13-0. ^ Austin Troy (January 10, 2012). The Very Hungry City: Urban Energy Efficiency and the Economic Fate of Cities. Yale University Press. p. 201. ISBN 978-0-300-16231-8. Retrieved August 18, 2012. ^ L.A. Metro. "Summer 2013 – General Fact Sheet – Purple Line Extension" (PDF). Retrieved July 25, 2013. ^ "Gay marriage ban: How cities in Los Angeles County voted". Los Angeles Times. ^ Carlton, Jim (May 5, 2015). "Nowhere Is Safe From California Drought—Not Even Beverly Hills". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 8, 2017. ^ Torok, Ryan (September 8, 2015). "L.A. County, Beverly Hills discuss their own water deals with Israel". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. Retrieved August 17, 2016. ^ Talbot, Victoria (July 1, 2016). "Beverly Hills Receives Livability Award From USCM for Second Time" (PDF). The Beverly Hills Courier. Vol. L1, no. 27. p. 17. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 12, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2016. ^ Talbot, Victoria (September 6, 2016). "Beverly Hills Community Dog Park Opens Today". The Beverly Hills Courier. Archived from the original on September 24, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2016. ^ "Dog Park: Events- Grand Opening Ceremony". City of Beverly Hills. Archived from the original on September 9, 2016. Retrieved September 6, 2016.