Mar Vista & Culver City
Mar Vista, located on the West Side of Los Angeles is an economically diverse neighborhood of apartment buildings and single-family homes. The hilly areas near its border with Santa Monica, whose spectacular ocean views give Mar Vista its name, hold some of the most expensive land in the community. A portion of north-central Mar Vista, the Gregory Ain Mar Vista Tract, is designated as a Historic Preservation Overlay Zone by the city of Los Angeles. This area, built immediately after World War II, contains an abundance of excellently preserved mid-century modern architecture.
Harry Culver’s first attempt to establish Culver City was in 1913, and the city was incorporated on September 20, 1917. (His first ads read “All roads lead to Culver City” indicating a main transportation route via the city. The first film studio in Culver City was built by Thomas Ince in 1918. In the 1920s, silent film comedy producer Hal Roach and Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) built studios there. During Prohibition, speakeasies and nightclubs such as the Cotton Club lined Washington Boulevard.
Local information provided for Mar Vista found here and Culver City here.