This is the sort of photo I want to jump into as we look up Westwood Blvd from Bullock’s department store in Westwood Village, which is near UCLA. That tower is the 110-foot Holmby Hall tower and stands on the corner of Weyburn Ave. This photo was taken on July 9, 1941, so six months later, the people we can see in this image were living in a country at war. But on that day, they were at peace, and what a genteel tranquility it looked to be.

Neil B. says: “There were actually two entrances to Bullocks, the Weyburn Avenue entrance and the La Conte entrance where the chauffeurs would leave the ladies. Crossing over La Conte Avenue there was an entrance to the UCLA botanical Gardens where I would go to eat my lunch every day. It was a small paradise quiet and beautiful at that time. All in all, Westwood at that time was a very civilized quiet and charming place.”

Holmby Hall is an historical landmark so it’s still standing. This is roughly how that view looked in October 2023.