Culver City residents had a recent opportunity to participate in a local study regarding the Veterans Memorial complex (VMC) and park space. Here is some information about the site that you may enjoy.
In 1938 Culver City’s city council approved plans to purchase 20 acres at Culver and Overland Boulevards from the Security First National Bank, with the plan to name the site Exposition Park.
The Project was developed by the Culver City Chamber of Commerce and The Exposition and Museum Corporation (a non-profit with Culver City notables on its board of directors: President Eugene Donovan (Citizen newspaper), Mayor Arthur Segrell, and Chamber President Blaine Walker, among others.
The original proposed design had a 180 ft. illuminated tower, a main building to contain costumes of famous motion picture stars, a broadcasting and television studio, a building to house motion picture equipment, a sound stage, an auditorium as well as a theater, café, and store building, along with elaborate landscaping.
With the advent of World War II, the project was put on hold.
Post war, on October 5, 1948, a special municipal election was held, endorsed by local service organizations, religious, labor, veteran organizations, the Culver City Chamber of Commerce, and the City Council. Culver City residents overwhelmingly passed the Recreation Bond for our new War Memorial and Recreation facility.
The new plan developed 10.95
acres of the park which included a standard Olympic-size pool (The Plunge) with graduated depth for both children and adults. The recreation building was to be dedicated as the Veterans Memorial Building and included a restaurant (Marion’s Tower Restaurant), gymnasium for basketball (seating 1,500) and convertible for auditorium purposes (seating 2,100), stage, dressing rooms, club rooms, playrooms for children, and social rooms for adults, allowing for recreational activities for all ages. Aerial view pictured.
Culver City was the motion picture-producing center of the world, and no opportunity should be lost to capitalize on this most important element in the community. With the cooperation of the studios, the lobby might be arranged as a motion picture museum that could have tremendous appeal to tourists, bringing favorable national publicity to our city.
“This building is dedicated by a grateful people as a living memorial to those who, through unselfish service in time of war struggled to secure for all humanity the blessing of freedom and a world at peace.”
This plan now called for a 122 ft. tower, providing an exceptional view of Santa Monica Bay to Downtown LA. The tower could bring in revenue since it overlooked Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s Main Lot and Lot 2 across the street and had potential to attract thousands of tourists.
Exposition Park was officially designated as Veterans Memorial Park on August 8, 1949. The Veterans Memorial Building cornerstone was laid on April 15,1950 and behind it lays a time capsule that includes historical documents. The names of the local veterans who defended our Country during the Spanish/ American War, WW1 and WW2 were inscribed on bronze plaques installed at the entrance to the building, which was officially dedicated on March 9, 1951.
