Culver Historical Highlights Volume 30 No. 1 Publi shed by the Culver City Historical Society Winter 2009 „HAPPY NEW YEAR‰ ~ 2009 ! OCIETY S EGINS T S HIRD EAR S ’ ARC B I ' T Y HISTORICAL SOCIETIES MEET AT CC GATEWAY STATION POST OFFICE FUTURE UNCERTAIN “L.A. AS SUBJECT” CONFERENCE The Culver City Historical Society members, David Cameron.) On On Saturday, October 25, 2008, CCHS President Stu Freeman attended the3rd was one of the organizations copied behalf of the Society, CCHS President Annual L.A. Archives Bazaar at the USC- on a letter from the U.S. Postal Stu Freeman responded to the letter Davidson Conference Center in downtown Service to Milford Wayne Donaldson, which advised of the intent to sell the Los Angeles. He was joined by CCHS California’s State Historic Gateway Station Post Office. members Julie Lugo Cerra, Louise Coffey- Preservation Officer, regarding the Webb, Karen Coyle, Hope Parrish, Judy future plans for the CC Gateway ROZAIRE & BELOUS 1950 STUDY CITED Stangler and Fred Yglesias. Station Post Office on Culver. Blvd. The USPS letter Offering a wealth of resources for mentioned a study exploring Los Angeles history, the annual done in 1950 by Archives Bazaar is organized by L.A. as Rozaire & Belous, Subject, an alliance of research archives, and the Society was libraries, and collections dedicated to CC Gateway able to augment preserving the rich history of the Los Station Post some of their Office (1940) Angeles region. (cont’d. pg 7) information. This study is particularly significant to our PLEASE ATTEND! Society as Dr. CULVER CITY CULTURAL AFFAIRS Charles Rozaire, one TOWN HALL MEETING of its authors is The Cultural Affairs staff will present an a well - respected overview of the accomplishments of 2008 archeologist and and the proposed work plan for 2009. The anthropologist and a staff report will also include information retired UCLA regarding the City’s Historic Preservation (Interestingly, Mr. Donaldson was the professor, who was raised in Culver City – Program in light of projects for the coming year. The Commission will then open the architect hired by the CC and who is a member of the Culver City Town Hall for individuals to speak. Redevelopment Agency, responsible Historical Society. A copy of the Rozaire/Belous study was CITY HALL for the fine restoration of the Ivy furnished to the Society by another Tuesday, January 13, 2009 - 7 pm Substation, a building which was archeologist member, and our first Website: www.culvercity.org placed on the National Register Archives Chair, Robin Turner. The USPS through the efforts of one of our (cont’d. pg.6) ~ JANUARY 21, 2009: GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING ~ Special Guests: The Parrish Family Three Generations of Film Property Masters and Culver City Neighbors he Culver City Historical Society’s Winter General Membership Meeting will be held on Wednesday, T January 21, 2009 at 7:00 pm in the Multi-Purpose Room at the Veterans Memorial Building, 4117 Overland Avenue. Please park and enter from the rear of the building, and a brief tour of the CCHS ARC will be offered following the meeting. Our guest speakers will be Denni s, Wilma (Willy), and Hope Parrish whose family has lived in Culver City since the late 1920s, when family frien d Clark Gable encouraged Grandpa Jim Parrish to come out to California from Akron, OH, to be in the “movies!” Their family story parallels the development of Culver City on many levels. The public is invited to enjoy the free program and students are encoura ged to attend. Refreshments will be served following the program (rem ember: no food allowed in the ARC). For more information, please call the Society at (310) 253-6941 or email us at [email protected]. Culver Historical Highlights PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE by Stu Freeman PO Box 3428 · Culver City, CA · 90231-3428 Tel: 310.253.6941 · Fax: 310.253.6942 PRESIDEN January will mark the beginning of the third year of the Culver email: [email protected] City Historical Society’s Archives & Resource Center (ARC), housed The Culver City Historical Society, founded in (on the corner of Overland in the Veterans Memorial Buil ding complex 1980, is a non-profit membership organization Ave. & Culver Blvd.). ~ 2 ~ TS created for the purpose of collecting, preserving We are very proud of the progress that we have made and and exhibiting the history of Culver City and its cultural and civic accomplishments. grateful for the many complime nts that you have so generously given us when you have visited the ARC. If you have not yet visited the The CCHS Newsletter is published quarterly. MESSAGE Center, please put it on y our 2009 to-do list. I’m sure that you w ill be Editor & Publ isher ………………………Judy Stangler Contributing Writers…………..……. Julie Lugo Cerra happy that you did! Marc Wanamaker, Louise Coffey-Webb Martha & Sol Sigall, Steve Newton Beginning in December, we will be displaying terrific color photos of the Printed by…………………..…Premier Print & Design beabyutiful floatsSteve that Culver RoseCity entered in the world-renowned Pasadena Rose Parades back in the 1980s. We also have a photo of the 1940 entry (see the “ARC Update” column, Officers and Committee Chairs pg. 7). These photos are really something special and they reflect a part of our city’s Stu Freeman .……………...………………. President Cathy Zermeno …..…...…Immediate Past President wonderful film history, such as the float commemorating the classic comedy team of Fred Yglesias …...…...………………. VP, Programs Laurel & Hardy. Martha & Sol Sigall ……….….…………… VP, Archives Doug Newton…………....….........VP, Ways & Means Remember, this is your city’s archives so please come visit, come do research Jeanne Conklin..……………...……..…..… Secretary and come have a good time – we promise you’ll find some fascinating treasures and Tami Eskridge …………….….…...…….… Treasurer historic memorabilia! Karen Coyle ….…………...….…...... Parliamentarian Lydia Spiegelman……...……….…….… Membership Wishing you and yours a happy, healthy holiday season and a great New Year Joy Jacobs ....…………..………..…Public Relations – and thank you again for your continuing support! Judy Stangler ……………….…….………. Newsletter Julie Lugo Cerra ..…….…………….… Historic Sites Sincerely, Steven J. Rose …..….…..……. Government Liaison Louise Coffey-Webb ……….……..…….….. Costumes Editor’s Column th Notes from Also, it marks the 90 Anniversary of A very “Happy 2009” to one and all! the opening of Thomas Ince’s second The past year has been great – we’ve Your City studio, currently The Culver Studios (at been involved in many events with sister 9336 Washington Blvd.), and The Hal Historian historical organizations from all over. Roach Studios – known as the "laugh by Julie Lugo Cerra The “L.A. as Subject” conference was factory to the world" – which was further exceptionally bountiful – and so very east on Washington Blvd. and now illuminating regarding the various remembered with an historical marker at avenues of historic archives and the corner of National Blvd. placed by research available all around us! the Sons of the Desert (The One of our goals for the coming year A GREAT 2009 AHEAD! International Laurel & Hardy Society). will be to reach out even more to the community – to students, to our seniors, This new year of 2009 is going to be The Academy of Motion Pictures Art to everyone who has a memory or a filled with celebrations! and Sciences will be hosting another photo that can add to the rich texture of great film series in 2009. Randy the Culver City experience. The ARC is th Haberkamp, Program Director of the developing wonderfully and the many First, it marks the 70 Anniversary of Academy Foundation, tells us it will start compliments we’ve received tells us that several 1939 classic films. Do you remember the beautiful stamps to in the spring. The ten-film series will all the hard work is definitely paying off! commemorate some of those films? In feature 1939 film releases, including Remember, it’s YOUR Historical 1990, The Culver Studios hosted an The Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Society—we can’t succeed without YOU! event in Culver City for which the CC Wind, which will bookend the event. Post Office even arranged a local Another structure in potential jeopardy is cancellation! (see photo below) HISTORIC PRESERVATION the 1940 Gateway Station Post Office (see OBJECTIVES story on pg. 1). Historic Preservation is front and Steve Rose (’64) and I enjoyed opening center…..and concern is warranted. up the ARC for the Culver High School We will let you know when the Class of ’63 Reunion (and other classes proposed new Historic Preservation thereabouts!) last October 18th. Dan Ordinance will go to Council and the Bloom (’63) has built a screen for us to RFP (Request for Proposal) for a separate the display area from our new historic survey. workspace. Stop by and see what we are doing with it . a timeline in progress! We marked the Legion Building as Thanks, Danny! Historic Site #5 in 1985, and it is a part of the property that Brotman Note: The Los Angeles Conservancy has Medical Center wishes to sell. It again given the City of Culver City a “B-“ holds “significant” historic status in rating on their Historic Preservation Report Card …! Culver City. ~2~ REEL C ULVER CITY by Marc Wanamaker CULVER CITY’S MERALTA THEATRE The traveling female duo of ‘The large’ Pearl Merrill and ‘The Tiny’ Laura Peralta performed as “Ella Fant and Miss Kito” on the vaudeville circuit for many years, accumulating enough money to build their own theatre at 9632 Culver Boulevard, Culver City. FILM PREVIEWS LEADS TO FIRST-RUN RELEASES The Meralta’s opening premiere show included an appearance by Will Rogers, a The “first” Meralta Theatre (c.1928) new Thomas Ince film and an Our Gang The Society wishes to thank the first donors to the Culver City comedy (which had all the kids leaping Fighting Chetniks and Noel Coward’s In through their on-screen likeness when the Which We Serve.