Notes from Your City Historian
by Julie Lugo Cerra
A Self-Guided Walking Tour of Downtown Culver City was introduced at this year’s Fiesta La Ballona.
It was very well attended, and although Robin Turner and I actually accompanied a couple of groups, others just picked it up and took off for a nice walk at their own pace – some enjoying a stop at the Farmers Market during their stroll. We even had a family on bicycles…pretty nice!
Special thanks to Program Chair Anita Shapiro and Sam Cerra who distributed the tour sheets, Museum Chair Robin Turner and Steve Rose, and of course Martha and Sol Sigall.
There will be a drawing for a copy of the new book, Images of America: Culver City, at the October meeting. This is the prize for the word scramble distributed for the tour.
LANDMARK PLAQUES
The landmark plaques are continuing to go up on local buildings. The one on the Culver Theatre, now the Kirk Douglas Theatre, offers an image of the front since the “Culver” script is no longer being used. Do you remember when it was being built? Well, thanks to Charles Rozaire’s collection, you can see it here!
‘30S “BURY THE HATCHET” CEREMONY
While doing research at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Margaret Herrick Library, I found an article on the “Bury the Hatchet” ceremony which took place in the 1930s. Included was the first photo I’ve found of this little media event which was intended to still the troubled waters between the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and ours in Culver City, and was quite an affair! Our president Steve Rose had it enlarged and posted in the window of the Pacific Theatres. Go by and enjoy some interesting reading…
LIVING HISTORY PROJECT
We are working with Diane Fiello, who is the new Assistant Superintendent-Educational Services in Culver City Unified. We are hoping to do two skits in the third grade classrooms as we did last year – one on the Gabrielinos, and one with Pat Culver Battle talking about her father, Harry Culver. Our hope is to offer the Machado skit for the fourth graders as well. These will be performed in the classes sometime between January and March, 2005.