In this aerial shot, we’re looking south along Western Ave. The cross street near the bottom of the photo is Sunset Blvd, which means that block with the long buildings is the William Fox movie studios. They were built in 1917, so they were only a year old when this photo was taken in 1918. William Fox was a force to be reckoned with through the silent era, but he suffered huge losses in the stock market crash and by 1930 was no longer studio head. In 1935, the studio merged with 20th Century Pictures to form 20th Century-Fox. Their main lot was in Century City, but through to the 1970s, they maintained this secondary lot. The area was fairly well developed at this point, but there does appear to be a small orchard at the very bottom of this photo.
Tommy D says: “William Fox took over the Thomas Dixon Studios and then expanded to both sides of Sunset Blvd. and Western Ave. on the South. On the Right hand side of this image contained the Glass roofed stages, School, and Commissary.”