1913: Harry Culver looks at Venice, and decides to build his own
city
Many have asked why Harry Culver chose this
location. This a reprint of Harry Culver’s speech announcing his intent to
develop what became Culver City. Culver gave this speech to a gentlemen’s
club in downtown Los Angeles in 1913. A year later, on October 31, 1914, The
Culver City Call newspaper reprinted the speech with this
comment:
“Following is the text
of the speech made about a year ago, at a dinner at the California Club, by
Harry H. Culver, announcing the birth of Culver City. The speech is worthy of
reading again at this time in view of the wonderful success of Culver City in
its past year.”
Prophecy
Fulfilled
Lesson of Twelve months
source of pride and gratification says H. H.
Culver
Immense growth of
Southland Metropolis is Shown by
Figures
“I Love You,
California,” has been re-echoed around the world, both in song and story.
But no one can fully appreciate its meaning as much as the person who is
fortunate enough to call California home. And to all true Californians those
magic words send a thrill similar to that which is experienced by all true
Americans at the mention of the “Star-Spangled
Banner.”
California, besides its
thousands of fertile acres that in the different sections will grow to
perfection anything in plant life that can be raised anywhere on earth, its
countless oil wells and mines of gold, silver and other metals, has within its
confines more natural scenic attractions than any other equal area on the face
of the globe.
It’s a
well-organized modern city with a population of 75,000, with banks and factories
and stores great and small and millions of money with railroads and street
railways, with sixty miles of solid, substantial, beautiful homes, with schools
and churches, were to be picked up one fine day and moved intact and complete,
people and all, onto vacant territory adjoining the city of Los Angeles, the
whole world and particularly we of this city would be overwhelmed with wonder
and amazement.
The event would become
one of the marvels of the world. It would be discussed in all the languages. And
it would go down in history as the most extraordinary event human mind ever
struggled to grasp.
That very thing was
done in the year which closed June 30. Of course, the people came in groups and
carloads , and were assimilated gradually. The buildings came by train and ship,
in the form of materials.
The money
came in from all over the world – $250,000 a day. The railways and
railroads came with extensions of a few miles each
month.
Very few realized what was being
achieved in this city. All watched the growth with interest, but the recurrence
of the story month after month dulled interest. This same growth goes on
constantly. The sound of the hammer and the saw, the groan of derricks, the
clatter of the riveter, the fall of the pile-driver, the whistle of engines, the
gong of cars, saturate us, benumb our minds. When the whole column of figures
showing progress is totaled, we rub our
eyes.
But do we grasp its significance?
Does the world know what we are doing? Think, if you can, without confusion, of
sixty-three solid miles of new residences in twelve months! Think of $33,000,000
expended in one year for buildings. Think of the post office receipts gaining
$200,000 in one year. Think of a 20 per cent increase in all business in 365
days. Think of bank clearings of more than one billion dollars. Think of bank
clearings of more than one billion dollars. Think of a manufacturing business of
$100,000,000-and Los Angeles only just making the first feeble beginning as an
industrial center! So the great prosperity of the last twelve months is a lesson
as well as a source of pride and gratification. It has been wonderful, and the
world is beginning to realize it.
What
is the attraction, gentlemen? Climate. What makes possible the climate? That
wonderful ocean. On a clear day, step out to the last home on Washington street
and gaze towards the ocean-and what do you
see?
Venice of America! A city built on
the sands, but as enduring as the hills because the very reason of its being is
based on that play-spirit of the
people.
To the casual observer, Venice
is merely a gigantic amusement place, whose purpose is solely to draw the
nickels and dimes of the people. This was probably the only outward reason for
its creation, but unconsciously there must have been a realization of the
city’s great need.
Thousands and
thousands of city dwellers, tired of apartments that you can fold up and tuck in
your vest pocket; tired of great buildings that reach up to heaven but never get
there; tired of the feverish madness of the marathon of gold; these thousands
must play.
Therefore, Venice is the big
playground. The cool ocean breezes blow away all mental dustiness as the big
cars of the Pacific Electric flash through the twenty-three subdivisions that
intervene between Los Angeles and
Venice.
Venice may have been an
inspiration, but the inspiration was handled by a master mind. It is the nearest
beach to the city of Los Angeles. That in itself is a big item, for minutes and
seconds rise far above par when dealing with thousands and thousands of
passengers.
There are already seven
railroads, electric and steam, entering Venice and connecting it with Los
Angeles and neighboring places. The question of a subway must be taken up soon.
This will mean shortening the time from Los Angeles to Venice by several
minutes, and will enable the railroads to handle the crowds to much better
advantage.
When Venice was conceived
there was nothing for the imagination to work upon but a stretch of sand and
low, dark marshes. The same sand which sold for ten cents per load then is now
valued at $1,500 per foot front. This has all been accomplished in eight
years.
Gentlemen, for two years I have
carefully watched a courtship maturing between these two cities-in fact, the
“stork” has been busy, and at this time, I can’t tell whether
it’s a boy or a girl, but I can certainly hope “it’s a
bear.” If you draw a straight line from the Story building to the Ocean
Front at Venice, at the half-way mark you will find three intersection electric
lines-the logical center for what we propose to develop a townsite. We believe
this is the time, place and the girl; and so the deal is going over. After the
town has been christened, we propose to wage a selling campaign second to none
in California for rapidity of sales. I believe I can count on every man present
here this evening to boost the proposition, and as a result the new-born town
will have a successful career, and be a credit to the community as well as to
the men associated with me in its development.”
Posted: Sat
- July 1, 2006 at 07:08 AM