President Hope Parrish
During 2023, the Society provided wonderful programs, lectures, walking tours, events, and museum exhibits! Our Open Sundays have been busy, and our programs have had full audiences. Speaking of programs, we are thrilled that our first program of the new year will be Marc Wanamaker presenting the early history of Hollywood “Poverty Row”. It is a must see for all motion picture enthusiasts!
2024 is a special year in Culver City’s rich history. 100 years ago, Marcus Loew purchased Metro Pictures and Goldwyn Pictures, both on the brink of bankruptcy. He knew that to succeed he needed a special man -Louis B. Mayer, to be studio head. It was the birth of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, creating one of the biggest studios in Hollywood history, both in film production and studio facility space. We are so happy that MGM is back in Culver City, and now under the ownership of Amazon Studios. Welcome back home MGM and Happy Birthday!
On September 4th, 1924, Harry Culver completed construction of the Hunt Hotel, the local skyscraper of the era! Happy 100th Birthday to our beloved Culver Hotel! This beautiful structure was almost set for demolition–. can you imagine?
Keep an eye out for our upcoming programs and events celebrating both these beacons of Culver City history. We will continue our Sunday lecture series this year, as well as outreach and visibility in our community. If you are looking for something to get involved with locally, become a volunteer. We need docents for walking tours, committee volunteers and residents, past and present to share their living histories.
We could not be where we are today without our volunteers, member support, gifted donations, and this community.