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1950 Map of Beverly Hills

Name: 1950 Topographic Map of Beverly Hills
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1959
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

The Golden Age of Hollywood’s physical footprint is etched into this survey, which highlights the massive operations of Hal Roach Studios, Selznick Studios, and M G M Studios near Culver City. The landscape transitions from the residential grids of Beverly Hills and Westwood Village to the steep canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains, where Stone Canyon Res and Franklin Canyon Res sit tucked into the ridges. In West Los Angeles, the sprawling grounds of the Soldiers Home and the University of California at Los Angeles dominate the local geography.

Transportation during this era is defined by the Pacific Electric railway lines cutting through the urban landscape and the prominence of major thoroughfares like Sunset Blvd and Wilshire Blvd. Along the coast, Santa Monica appears as a dense coastal hub, complete with its Municipal Pier and the Pacific Coast Hwy. The map captures a moment when mid-century development was rapidly filling the basins between the mountains and Santa Monica Bay, yet before the complete erasure of the region's industrial and agricultural origins.