What do you think?
Rate this book
Images of America: California
Early Beverly Hills
Way before Rodeo Drive and the "pink palace" of the Beverly Hills Hotel were built, way before the namesake hillbillies, its zip code, and Eddie Murphy's detective techniques reaffirmed its place in popular culture, and way before its 1,001 mansions, Beverly Hills was comprised of wild canyons and ranchlands. Burton Green, one of the three original land developers of the Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas, named this place of severe terrain after Beverly Farms, Massachusetts, a 19th-century spa. Since its establishment in 1907, Beverly Hills, California, has been a crossroads for the great movers and shakers of the entertainment industry as well as the tycoons, world leaders, and flotsam and jetsam magnetized by the limelight. The vintage photographs in this provocative volume illustrate Beverly Hills's early transition from cow pastures to Hollywood's extremely illustrious bedroom community.
- GenresHistory
128 pages, Paperback
First published November 16, 2005
6 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 13, 2025
early years
Gives good facts about the early years of Beverly Hills. Great for California history buffs and pop culture fans . A must read.
Gives good facts about the early years of Beverly Hills. Great for California history buffs and pop culture fans . A must read.
February 2, 2014
The history of Beverly Hills illustrated with images from 1878-1939
This is a wonderful book for anyone who is interested in the history of Beverly Hills, and movie industry in general. The history of the city is described with still-photographs dating back to 1878 and all the way to 1939. The book is full of beautiful pictures, and some of them aerial images that give a spectacular view of the emerging Tinseltown. It is amazing that you can learn so much about this city that grew from a farming community to a busy city, the center of glamor. The "Pink Palace," also known as Beverly Hills Hotel was built in 1912 and still sits at the same spot. It is a place where some of the memorable movies were made and witnessed many real life celebrities stories; some real juicy! Beverly Wilshire Hotel is another iconic building that is located at Wilshire and Rodeo drive is also a center of modern day glamor. In early 1900s, much of Rodeo drive and other roads that run parallel to it were in fact residential areas. Beverly Drive was built much earlier and more robust than the adjacent Rodeo Drive in earlier days, and so was Wilshire Blvd in the city of Beverly Hills.
The iconic Beverly Hills shield was placed at the city limits during the 1930s. Some of the images include; 1890s view of George Hanson ranch in Beverly Hills; 1915 picture of Beverly Hills Hotel majestically tucked under the hills Santa Monica mountains, empty lots of Beverly Drive and Sunset Blvd of 1916; the first house at Beverly Drive and Parkway built in 1913 (lots priced between $1,000 to 1,500); aerial view of the developing city of Beverly Hills (1920); picture of City Hall (1925); Sunset Park (currently called Will Rogers Park) in 1915; Robinson estate (1912); the aerial view of Beverly Terrace tract and Valentino's Falcon Lair Estate (1930s); the 1924 picture of Santa Monica Blvd and Wilshire Blvd intersection; the aerial view of Beverly Hills Speedway at Wilshire and Beverly Drive (1922); the 1924 aerial view of houses on Beverly Drive (north of Santa Monica), the 1925 picture of Rodeo Drive bridle path, commercial district of Beverly Drive and Burton Way (1925); the 1926 pictures of Will Rogers, as mayor of Beverly Hills; the image of Beverly Hills High School (1935); the 1929 picture of Beverly Wilshire Hotel; The Rose Bowl Parade, 1929; the aerial view of PickFair estate (1920); the Chaplin estate (1923); Gloria Swanson estate (1922); the estate of Pola Negri (1923); the estate of Tom Mix (1924); the George Burns and Gracie Allen estate at 720 North Maple (1937); Church of Good Shepard Catholic Church on Sunset Blvd (1936); and the aerial view of much progressed Beverly Hills (1936). The photographs are very clear, beautifully illustrated, and the book makes a nice reading material on your coffee table.
This is a wonderful book for anyone who is interested in the history of Beverly Hills, and movie industry in general. The history of the city is described with still-photographs dating back to 1878 and all the way to 1939. The book is full of beautiful pictures, and some of them aerial images that give a spectacular view of the emerging Tinseltown. It is amazing that you can learn so much about this city that grew from a farming community to a busy city, the center of glamor. The "Pink Palace," also known as Beverly Hills Hotel was built in 1912 and still sits at the same spot. It is a place where some of the memorable movies were made and witnessed many real life celebrities stories; some real juicy! Beverly Wilshire Hotel is another iconic building that is located at Wilshire and Rodeo drive is also a center of modern day glamor. In early 1900s, much of Rodeo drive and other roads that run parallel to it were in fact residential areas. Beverly Drive was built much earlier and more robust than the adjacent Rodeo Drive in earlier days, and so was Wilshire Blvd in the city of Beverly Hills.
The iconic Beverly Hills shield was placed at the city limits during the 1930s. Some of the images include; 1890s view of George Hanson ranch in Beverly Hills; 1915 picture of Beverly Hills Hotel majestically tucked under the hills Santa Monica mountains, empty lots of Beverly Drive and Sunset Blvd of 1916; the first house at Beverly Drive and Parkway built in 1913 (lots priced between $1,000 to 1,500); aerial view of the developing city of Beverly Hills (1920); picture of City Hall (1925); Sunset Park (currently called Will Rogers Park) in 1915; Robinson estate (1912); the aerial view of Beverly Terrace tract and Valentino's Falcon Lair Estate (1930s); the 1924 picture of Santa Monica Blvd and Wilshire Blvd intersection; the aerial view of Beverly Hills Speedway at Wilshire and Beverly Drive (1922); the 1924 aerial view of houses on Beverly Drive (north of Santa Monica), the 1925 picture of Rodeo Drive bridle path, commercial district of Beverly Drive and Burton Way (1925); the 1926 pictures of Will Rogers, as mayor of Beverly Hills; the image of Beverly Hills High School (1935); the 1929 picture of Beverly Wilshire Hotel; The Rose Bowl Parade, 1929; the aerial view of PickFair estate (1920); the Chaplin estate (1923); Gloria Swanson estate (1922); the estate of Pola Negri (1923); the estate of Tom Mix (1924); the George Burns and Gracie Allen estate at 720 North Maple (1937); Church of Good Shepard Catholic Church on Sunset Blvd (1936); and the aerial view of much progressed Beverly Hills (1936). The photographs are very clear, beautifully illustrated, and the book makes a nice reading material on your coffee table.
January 13, 2017
More pictures than words -- guess that's the problem with eBooks and not leafing through them before buying!! But since this was a library book, I'm not upset. Good account of many memorable areas. Just not what I expected.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews