The Very Beginning Of Hollywood

Hollywood is a neighborhood in LA, California, synonymous with the entertainment industry’s fame, money, and power. This world-famous entertainment center is home to several TV and film studios as well as record labels. Today, Hollywood is a thriving metropolis, but it began as a small agricultural community transformed into a place where dreams are realized for a lucky few.

The Humble Beginning

During a move from Topeka, Kansas, to Los Angeles in 1883, Harvey Henry Wilcox purchased 150 acres of land west of Hollywood, which he tried to turn into a ranching property. After trying unsuccessfully, he filed plans in 1887 with the Los Angeles County Recorder’s office for the subdivision of the land. At the beginning of the 21st century, a post office, market, shops, hotel, and even a streetcar existed in Hollywood. This even happened before HJ Whitley, best known as “The Father of Hollywood,” presented himself on the scene. Whitley built the famous Hollywood Hotel, best known today as the Dolby Theater. It holds the annual Oscars ceremony and is located in a quiet residential area. Hollywood became a city in 1903 and merged with Los Angeles in 1910.

1908 saw the completion of the first Hollywood film, “The Count of Monte Cristo,” although production started in Chicago. The first short film was made exclusively in Hollywood in 1910 titled, Old California. By 1911, the first movie studio popped up on Sunset Boulevard. Several motion-picture companies had relocated from the East Coast to Hollywood by 1915, and by the 1930s, Hollywood had reached the height of its first Golden Age.