Being used to a Los Angeles of 10 million people and practically every square inch developed, landscaped, and accounted for, I never tire of seeing L.A. of yesteryear when great swaths of land were still wide open and there for the taking. This aerial shot shows us Westwood Village, which is sandwiched between Beverly Hills to the east and Brentwood to the west. I’m guessing this is from the early 1930s because the Janss Dome (Westwood’s first building) went up in 1929. We can also see the clock tower at 10900 W. Weyburn Ave. They’re both still around, which is more than I can say for those great swaths of open land.
This satellite image is from 2021. When I said every square inch is developed, I wasn’t exaggerating.
Hi Martin! Pretty sure the building at upper left in 1930’s photograph is not the Fox theater — I believe it’s the clock tower at 10900 W. Weyburn Ave. The Fox theater tower would be just out of frame on the left (west).
You’re right, Steve! Well spotted. I’ll change the text now.
I went to UCLA, so I’ve seen some of these very early Westwood shots. Pretty amazing. I remember the Janss Dome as a bank when I was in school (Bank of America?). Later, it was a Chinese restaurant for a while (Mr. Chow’s?). I’m getting old, so my memory is getting a little foggy. 🙂
I remember reading years ago that the last plots of open land in LA filled up in the early 1970s; after that is when housing prices started to take off.