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Beverly Hills, Old Hollywood and Los Angeles History

Hello and welcome to the real estate minute. I’m your host Ivan Estrada with Ivan Estrada Properties at Douglas Elliman. And in this episode, we’re going back in history. About a hundred years and seeing some Beverly Hills history, Los Angeles history, and of course celebrity history. So the real estate minute is going to work like this: there are three segments, one minute each, three minutes total. Let the real estate minute begin.

Beverly Hills has changed dramatically over the last hundred years. You might not know this but between Wilshire and Olympic, there was the Beverly Hills speedway. It was 1.25 miles, two hundred and seventy-five acres. Now the speedway ran for a total of five years and it was relocated to Culver City because of the residential boom. Now just up the street was the Bridle Path. There was a Bridle Path on Sunset, Rodeo, Benedict Canyon and Coldwater Canyon. So before buses, before cars, we used to have horses. The last tidbit of Beverly Hills history was that the first owner of a Beverly Hills home was a woman of African and Mexican descent on Alpine and Sunset. She was a mother of seven, and she purchased the home in 1852. A lot of Beverly Hills residents don’t know but there was The Great Battle of Beverly Hills here on Alpine and Sunset between Maria Rita Valdez and a Native American tribe.

Los Angeles has changed dramatically over the last hundred years, especially when we talk about real estate and transportation. Now speaking about real estate, how about that Hollywood sign or what used to be the Hollywoodland sign. A big misconception is that the Hollywoodland sign was put there for the entertainment industry. It actually had nothing to do with the entertainment industry and all to do with real estate and real estate development. Developers wanted people to know that you could actually buy and build homes up in the Hollywood Hills. In the 1940s the Hollywood land sign dropped the land and also the 40,000 lights because of neighborhood complaints. At one-point LA was known for it’s amazing Transportation. That’s right. We had yellow cars and street cars that not only would take you inbound but also outbound of the city. There’s a huge conspiracy theory against Firestone, the gas companies and the automobile industry for shutting this down. Regardless, it changed the landscape of transportation for LA.

Los Angeles is full of old celebrity history with actors such as Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, Joan Bennett, Ronald Reagan, and of course the woman who raised me Lucille Ball from the I Love Lucy show. Humphrey Bogart for those of you who don’t know him was the lead in the movie Casablanca. You had a beautiful Spanish home that he lived in with his third wife up on Shoreham. Now, let’s talk about our President Ronald Reagan. He lived on 33 South Beverly Glen which actually just sold. Beautiful colonial revival home just has an amazing design. It’s very regal, let’s just say it’s very presidential. And of course, the incomparable legend, my icon Lucille Ball. So Lucille Ball owned homes all over Los Angeles. Her first home was a craftsman in Spaulding Square and her last home was 1000 Roxbury. It was a beautiful 6-bedroom, 8 bath home and of course done up to the nines like only Lucille Ball would do.

Thank you so much for watching the real estate minute for the month of April. I hope you enjoyed walking Memory Lane with me seeing some of the history of Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and old celebrity homes located here in Beverly Hills. I will see you next time now. Don’t forget to follow me on social media.

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About Ivan Estrada Properties: Ivan Estrada and his elite team of real estate agents are dedicated to providing an unforgettable experience in finding your dream home in Beverly Hills and other areas in Los Angeles County. Call us today at 323.574.2317 or contact us here.

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