Here we have a rare glimpse of Beverly Hills before it became Beverly Hills, and long before the area became a famous celebrity enclave. This is a shot of the Beverly Hills Hotel being built. The hotel opened on May 12, 1912 so as construction looks fairly far along, I’d date this at circa early 1912. As we can see, there is nothing around (apart from lima bean fields) so we can understand more clearly how the Beverly Hills Hotel was marketed as a country retreat far from the crowded hurly burly of (downtown) Los Angeles.a