Westchester, CA in 1963
The following is from an old Herald-Examiner newspaper article (April 12th, 1963) that I found in my mother-in-laws garage.
It’s a nice little historical perspective of Westchester written in 1963.
The Search Was On for Oil, But Air Was Key to Growth
Westchester, fast growing residential, commercial and industrial community within the City of Los Angeles, is the subject of this 148th story in the Herald-Examiner’s weekly series.
By Clyde Leech
In no Southern California community has the fickle finger of timing played a greater more generous role than at Westchester.
First came World War II and the tremendous buildup of aircraft and other defense plants in the Southland.
Next was the arrival of transportation’s jet age. It demanded larger airports and longer runways, more elaborate terminal facilities and thousands of new employees for airlines and government agencies.
Thirdly, man crashed through to a new dimension in space, bringing new missile plants, new payrolls, and new prosperity to a great many areas.
Westchester, a suburban community covering 5000 acres within the bulbous borders of Los Angeles, was in the right place at the right time to reap a rich harvest of growth and prosperity from all three.
“It was a matter of timing,” said T.W. Johnson, senior vice president of Security First National Bank, “and in real estate, timing is everything.”
As the responsible officer of a lending institution which once was committed to a less-than-glowing investment in Westchester acreage, Johnson knows what he is talking about.
Not Gold Brick, But Gilt Edge
The investment turned out to be gilt edged and gold lined after years of doing a first class imitation of a gold brick made of lead. Johnson’s old friend, C.M. Crawford – who gave Westchester its name – knows the whole story…
“Daniel Freeman sold the 5000-acre tract to a syndicate of Los Angeles businessmen in the early 1900′s,” he said.
“The center of the tract was near what is now the intersection of Sepulveda Boulevard and Manchester Avenue.,” Crawford added, “and the land was part of two Spanish land grants; Rancho Aguaje de la Centinela and Rancho Sausal Redondo.
“Shortly after the acquisition two corporations were formed. The land lying east of Sepulveda to the Los Angeles Extension Co. and the land lying west to Inglewood Extension Co.”
Crawford became secretary of the Los Angeles Extension Co. some years later. He recalled that for many years the only signs of life on the acreage resulted from sheep grazing and the drilling of a large number of test wells for oil.
City Eyes Tract For Airport Site
“It’s a strange thing,” he said, “that oil was found on three sides of the property (the forth side is the ocean) but never on the property itself.”
As events turned out, the acreage didn’t need oil. It became enormously valuable without the benefit of petroleum production.The first step in this direction came in the 1930s when the City of Los Angeles launched a search for a Municipal Airport site.
The city’s attention was drawn to a portion of the 5000 acres once occupied by Andrew Bennett, a rancher. Until 1928, it had been used for the cultivation of hay and barley. Then for the 1928 National Air Races a 2200-foot runway was built to handle the red-hot 200-mph racing planes.
Other sites were actively promoted by various sponsors and were considered by the city. In the end, this site – 640 acres offered by James R. Martin – became the first unit of what is today’s magnificent 3000-acre Los Angeles International Airport where 32,000 persons are employed to serve 20,000 daily passengers.
“Martin never sought any acclaim.” Crawford said, “but by his thorough preparation of his case, his determination and his adroitness he succeeded in locating the airport where it went.
“The name ‘Mines Field’, originally attached to the site, had no great significance. W. W. Mines acted only in the capacity of a real estate broker and had no ownership of the land.”
Initially the city leased the airport site. Final transfer of ownership was completed in 1937. By 1939 the Inglewood Extension Co. had been broken up. Portions of the holdings were acquired by the Los angeles Extension Co. Other sections were bought by Security first National Bank and Superior Oil Co.
Also in 1939, plans for the areas first subdivision were submitted to the Los Angeles Planning Commission. The first housing unit was begun late in 1940. The delay was caused by the commission’s concern over the proposed subdivision proximity to the 640-acre airport and it’s lone 2200-foot landing strip.
Silas Nowell, the pioneer subdivider, was required to put up a number of houses before the Federal Housing Administration approved the area for residential loans with FHA backing. Los Angeles City Hall was then, as it is today 10 miles from the northeast corner of Sepulveda and Manchester, where Nowell built his houses.
Not far behind Nowell came the firm of Marlow and Burns with ideas of its own about subdividing the acreage. Fred W. Marlow was a recently-resigned FHA director for California. Fritz B. Burns was an experienced realtor and subdivider, then best known for his development of Playa del Rey.
“There wasn’t much here in 1941,” burns said the other day. He was seated in a private dining room of Westchester’s new Airport-Marina Hotel, built and owned by Burns.
“Charlie Crawford stirred our interest in starting an operation here,” Burns continued, “and the first thing Fred Marlow and I knew, we were committed to take on 1400 acres. The price was around $1100 an acre and the bank was glad to see us..
“You wonder why an area like this remains dormant for so many years. The answer is that the distance from one place to another isn’t measured in miles, but by the amount of intervening vacant territory. There was plenty between Westchester and downtown in those days, so Westchester was considered a long way out.”
On December 6th, 1941, Marlow finished pouring foundations for the first batch of Marlow-Burns houses.
“Fred called me the next morning and asked whether I thought we ought to go ahead with the development,” Burns recalled. “I hadn’t heard about the bombing of Pearl Harbor, so I said ‘sure, why not?’ Then he told me.”
Burns decided to proceed with construction. Events proved this to be a wise decision. When the war came to an end in 1945, Westchester was ripe and ready to grow to meet the demands of immediate and long-range postwar eras. Burns, Marlow and other developers became very busy.
City Is Proud For Many Reasons
Today, Westchester is a city in its own right within the great metropolitan complex of Los Angeles containing 18,000 dwelling units occupied by 62,000 men, women and children. It claims self-supporting Los Angeles International Airport as its own, pointing pridefully to the 172 foot control tower (the worlds highest). There are sleekly modern architecturally coordinated buildings and striking theme structure rising 135 feet into the air, highlighting the $70 million passenger terminal.
The community is equally proud of its 73 hotels and motels, including many of the most attractive in Los Angeles; its more than 250 retail outlets in a regional shopping center surrounded by acres of free parking; the more than 300 industrial plants, employing 150,000 persons in a one mile radius of the airport; its fine public schools, and of Loyola University, an outstanding institution of higher learning for men.
It was not always thus. In 1947, Westchester honorary mayor, Mrs. Yvonne Boynton, moved into the families new home.
“We were nearly two miles from the airport,” she said, “but we could see everything that went on. The only thing between us was the bean fields.”
My mother owned a home at 6556 W. 88th Place. At the time she bought this house (1943) she was a single working woman. Apparently the area this home was located in was taken over by the airport due to the noise problem and the house was torn down. It would be great to hear of any more history , pictures and maps of the 1940′s regarding the area of Manchester on the North, La Tijera on the East, Lincoln on the South, and the Westchester Golf Course on the East.
I would also love to know what buildings are at the 6556 West 88th Place location now.
At that location: on 2 corner: homes. On the other two corners, the former location of Emerson Manor Kindergarden, and a vacant corner lost to LAX expansion.
You can Google it and see it from the satelite view.
I lived in Westchester from 1964 to 1973. Where can I get some pictures of downtown, the park, the pool, etc.? I can’t find any. Let me know?
I lived in the house that was the last one there. That was 6518 w 90th st. You know the one with all the junk around it. E.