Westwood Real Estate
Westwood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, bordered by Brentwood, Bel Air, Century City and Beverly Hills. Development began in 1919 on the lands of the historic ‘Wolfskill Ranch’ by entrepreneur Arthur Letts and later taken on by his son-in-law Harold Janss. Some of the historic buildings of the early days of Westwood remain and give the neighborhood a classic, golden-era feel. The major thoroughfares of Westwood are Santa Monica Blvd, Olympic, Wilshire Blvd, and Westwood, Beverly Glen, and Sunset Boulevard. The world class University of California Los Angeles is located in the heart of Westwood, and a bustling commercial center known as Westwood Village has sprung up around the campus, with many shops, restaurants, movie theatres and night life for the collegiate community. Westwood’s neighborhood has many condos, apartments, luxury residential high-rises and mid-century single family homes.
Another prominent feature in the neighborhood is the Morman Temple, which is built in a neo-classic style and was opened in 1956. The second largest LDS temple in the world, the beautiful tower and golden statue on top are a landmark for the residential blocks of Westwood east of the temple. Westwood is zoned to Los Angeles USD schools, and is served by 3 elementary schools (Fairburn, Westwood Charter, and Warner Avenue), Emerson Middle School and University High School. Private schools include UCLA Lab school for pre-k to 8th grade and Fusion Academy that serves grades 6-12.
Westwood Village is the main shopping and commercial center of the Westwood district in the City of Los Angeles, California. Westwood Village is located north of Wilshire Boulevard, east of Gayley Avenue, south of Le Conte Avenue, and west of Hilgard Avenue. Created by the Janss Investment Company as a shopping district in the late 1920s, Westwood Village’s development was complemented by the boom of UCLA, and was considered one of the most beautiful commercial areas in the nation. The development followed a Mediterranean theme, with clay roofs, decorated time, patios and courtyards all over Westwood Village. In the 1970s office buildings began being built in Westwood village, with the resulting mix of architectural styles, which the neighborhood embodies today. A number of the original deco designs remain in Westwood including The Fox Theatre, with its beautiful 170 foot tower, and the Janss Dome, with its beautiful round dome and octagonal base.
The Westwood neighborhood of today is an engaging mixture of old and new styles in architecture and housing concept. The Westwood resident can find condo or post-war cottage, high rise, or 8 unit apartment building, and has a variety of entertainment, dining and shopping choices at their fingerprints. Westwood is a neighborhood that gives you access to all of Los Angeles, but has all the conveniences of a city and can take care of all of its resident’s needs in a short proximity.
Places of Interest:
The Hammer Museum:
The Hammer as it is commonly known is located next door to UCLA’s main campus and is operated by UCLA’s school of Art and Architecture. It was founded by the late Armand Hammer, the CEO of the Occidental Petroleum Corporation, as a venue to display his massive art collection. The space has 79,000 sq. ft of art space, and is 3 stories high. In addition to the permanent collection which includes Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and modern works on paper, there are many exhibitions which feature single-artists and thematic exhibitions as well as invitational Hammer Projects which offer a laboratory setting to create new work or show existing work in an unconventional way. It also operates as a cultural center, which contributes free public programs six evenings a week including lectures, film screenings, music, and other events. It also is home to the 300-seat Billy Wilder Theatre.
The Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery:
The resting place of some of Hollywood’s most famous entertainers, the cemetery is small, well kept, and a quiet sanctuary in the middle of bustling Westwood Village. Famous stars buried here include Marilyn Monroe, Natalie Wood, Bettie Page, Frank Zappa, Jack Lemon, Billy Wilder, Truman Capote, John Cassavetes, and Eva Gabor. Maps of the graves aren’t provided by the cemetery, so if one wants to visit, it is best to print a map at home from online sources.
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