Century City, Los Angeles, California
Encyclopedia
Century City is a 176-acre (712,000-m2) commercial and residential district on the Westside
of the city of Los Angeles
. It is bounded by Westwood
on the west, Rancho Park
on the southwest, Cheviot Hills
and Beverlywood
on the southeast, and the city of Beverly Hills
on the northeast. Its major thoroughfares are Santa Monica, Olympic
, and Pico
boulevards (its northern boundary, central artery, and southern boundary, respectively), as well as Avenue of the Stars and Century Park East and West.
Century City is an important business center, and many law firms and executives—particularly those with ties to the film, television, and music industries—have offices there.
in Westwood appear to blend in with those of Century City when seen at a distance, although they are separated by over three-quarters of a mile (1.2 km).
Its gleaming high-rises stand in stark contrast to the small apartment buildings and single-family detached homes in the lower-density neighborhoods surrounding it, and were some of the first skyscraper
s built in Los Angeles after the lifting of earthquake-related height restrictions in the early 1960s.
For many years, it was home to the ABC Entertainment Center, which housed network operations for the ABC
Television Network and the Shubert Theatre, which hosted many famous Broadway musicals, such as Beauty and the Beast
, Les Misérables
, Cats
, Annie
, Evita, Sunset Boulevard
, and Mamma Mia!
The Shubert was demolished in 2002 and became replaced by a modern glass building that houses the headquarters Creative Artists Agency affectionately known as the Death Star
, which is part of the complex called Century Park
. Another show that Century City can often be seen in is "Modern Family" due to its production from Fox Studios right next door.
Some of the most recognized buildings in Century City include:
of 20th Century Fox
, which still has its headquarters just to the southwest, the Fox studio commissioned a master-plan development from Welton Becket
Associates, which was unveiled at a major press event on the "western" backlot in 1957. In 1961, after Fox suffered a string of expensive flops, culminating in the box-office disaster Cleopatra
, the film studio sold about 180 acre (0.7284348 km²) to developer William Zeckendorf
and Aluminum Co. of America, also known as Alcoa
. The new owners conceived Century City as "a city within a city." In 1963, the first building, Century City Gateway West, was complete, followed the next year by Minoru Yamasaki
's Century Plaza Hotel
.
It originally was planned to be served by the Beverly Hills Freeway (Santa Monica Boulevard to the north) and a rapid transit corridor. However, neither of these transportation improvements came to pass, and so Century City is a source of traffic irritation for the residents of Cheviot Hills to the south, since there is no direct freeway access to the center. It is likely that any westward extension of the Los Angeles MTA
's Metro Purple Line subway
will include a stop at Century City.
Much of the shopping center's architecture and style is shown off in numerous sequences in the 1967 Fox film, A Guide for the Married Man
, and can also be seen in a sequence in another Fox film of the same year, Caprice. The way the plaza looked in 1972 can be viewed in several scenes of still another Fox film, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
.
s "Mapping L.A." project supplied these Century City statistics: population: 5,513; median household income: $95,135.
Companies with headquarters in Century City include Crystal Cruises
, International Lease Finance Corporation
, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
(MGM Tower), Creative Artists Agency, Moelis & Co, Canyon Capital Advisors
, Ares Management
, Imperial Capital, LLC
and Korn/Ferry
and Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger LLP.
Northrop Grumman
was headquartered in Century City until 2011, when it relocated to the Falls Church, Virginia
area. Univision Communications
had its headquarters in Century City. By 2007 Univision moved its headquarters to New York City
.
SPA 5 West Area Health Office serves Century City.
Station 92 is the assigned fire station for the district.
operates the West Los Angeles Community Police Station at 1663 Butler Avenue, 90025, serving the neighborhood.
. Public schools serving it are Westwood Charter Elementary School, Ralph Waldo Emerson Middle School and Webster Middle School.
Before fall 2007, students in grades 9 through 12 were assigned to Hamilton High School
, but, in that term, LAUSD reassigned Century City's 9th graders to University High School
, and grades 10 through 12 were to be phased into the University High attendance area.
West Los Angeles (region)
The Los Angeles Westside is an urban region in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. It has no official definition, but, according to the Los Angeles Times, it comprises , encompassing 18 districts in the city of Los Angeles and two unincorporated neighborhoods, plus the cities of...
of the city of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. It is bounded by Westwood
Westwood, Los Angeles, California
Westwood is a neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the home of the University of California, Los Angeles .-History:...
on the west, Rancho Park
Rancho Park, Los Angeles, California
Rancho Park is a small residential neighborhood in West Los Angeles, California with mostly single family homes and tree lined streets. The community is nestled between Westwood and Cheviot Hills. This enclave draws young professionals and families and is home to residents working in a variety of...
on the southwest, Cheviot Hills
Cheviot Hills, Los Angeles, California
Cheviot Hills is a small residential district on the West Side of Los Angeles, California. It served as the location for the Three's Company spin-off The Ropers.-Geography:...
and Beverlywood
Beverlywood, Los Angeles, California
Beverlywood is a district on the West Side of the city of Los Angeles, California.-Geography and transportation:Beverlywood is bordered by Century City on the northwest, Cheviot Hills on the west, Palms on the southwest, Culver City on the south, Crestview on the east; South Robertson on the north...
on the southeast, and the city of Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
on the northeast. Its major thoroughfares are Santa Monica, Olympic
Olympic Boulevard
Olympic Boulevard is a major arterial road in Los Angeles, California. It stretches from 4th Street on the western end of Santa Monica to East Los Angeles—farther than Wilshire Boulevard and most other streets....
, and Pico
Pico Boulevard
Pico Boulevard is a major Los Angeles street that runs from the Pacific Ocean at Appian Way in Santa Monica to Central Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, California, USA...
boulevards (its northern boundary, central artery, and southern boundary, respectively), as well as Avenue of the Stars and Century Park East and West.
Century City is an important business center, and many law firms and executives—particularly those with ties to the film, television, and music industries—have offices there.
Skyscrapers and other important landmarks
The high-rise buildings along Wilshire BoulevardWilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was named for Henry Gaylord Wilshire , an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining. Henry Wilshire initiated what was to become Wilshire...
in Westwood appear to blend in with those of Century City when seen at a distance, although they are separated by over three-quarters of a mile (1.2 km).
Its gleaming high-rises stand in stark contrast to the small apartment buildings and single-family detached homes in the lower-density neighborhoods surrounding it, and were some of the first skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
s built in Los Angeles after the lifting of earthquake-related height restrictions in the early 1960s.
For many years, it was home to the ABC Entertainment Center, which housed network operations for the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
Television Network and the Shubert Theatre, which hosted many famous Broadway musicals, such as Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast (musical)
Beauty and the Beast is a musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and a book by Linda Woolverton, based on the 1991 Disney film of the same name. Seven new songs were written for the stage musical...
, Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
, Cats
Cats (musical)
Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot...
, Annie
Annie (musical)
Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
, Evita, Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard (musical)
Sunset Boulevard is a musical with book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Based on the 1950 film of the same title, the plot revolves around Norma Desmond, a faded star of the silent screen era, living in the past in her decaying mansion on the...
, and Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia! is a stage musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. Although the title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia", the plot is fictional, not...
The Shubert was demolished in 2002 and became replaced by a modern glass building that houses the headquarters Creative Artists Agency affectionately known as the Death Star
Death Star
The Death Star is a fictional moon-sized space station and superweapon appearing in the Star Wars movies and expanded universe. It is capable of destroying a planet with a single destructive super charged energy beam.-Origin and design:...
, which is part of the complex called Century Park
Century Park
Century Park is the largest park of the city of Shanghai. It is situated in Pudong New Area. The Shanghai Science and Technology Museum is located nearby.-Features:...
. Another show that Century City can often be seen in is "Modern Family" due to its production from Fox Studios right next door.
Some of the most recognized buildings in Century City include:
- The Century TowersThe Century TowersBuilt in 1964 by Alcoa, William Zeckendorf and Welton Becket Associates, the Century Towers was originally designed as apartments by architect I.M. Pei...
- Century Plaza TowersCentury Plaza TowersCentury Plaza Towers are two 44-story, twin towers located at 2029 and 2049 Century Park East in Century City in Los Angeles, California.Commissioned by Alcoa, the towers were designed by Minoru Yamasaki and completed in 1975. The towers resemble Yamasaki's World Trade Center in their vertical...
, commonly referred to as the "Twin Towers". - Fox Plaza, 20th Century Fox20th Century FoxTwentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
headquarters most well-known for being Nakatomi Plaza in the movie Die HardDie HardDie Hard is a 1988 American action film and the first in the Die Hard film series. The film was directed by John McTiernan and written by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza. It is based on a 1979 novel by Roderick Thorp titled Nothing Lasts Forever, itself a sequel to the book The Detective, which...
. - Constellation PlaceConstellation PlaceConstellation Place is a 491-foot -tall skyscraper in Century City, California. It houses the corporate headquarters of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ....
, (or the MGM Tower) headquarters of the historic Hollywood film company, Metro-Goldwyn-MayerMetro-Goldwyn-MayerMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
. - Watt Plaza
- SunAmerica CenterSunAmerica CenterSunAmerica Center is a 533-foot -high skyscraper in Century City, Los Angeles, California. It was completed in 1990 and has 39 floors. It is the 18th-tallest building in Los Angeles, the 3rd-tallest building in Century City and was designed by Johnson Fain...
- Century Plaza HotelCentury Plaza HotelThe Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles is a landmark 19-story luxury hotel forming a sweeping crescent design fronting the spectacular fountains on Avenue of the Stars adjacent to the twin Century Plaza Towers and the CAA building.- History :...
- Century City News
History
Once a backlotBacklot
A backlot is an area behind or adjoining a movie studio, containing permanent exterior buildings for outdoor scenes in filmmaking or television productions, or space for temporary set construction....
of 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
, which still has its headquarters just to the southwest, the Fox studio commissioned a master-plan development from Welton Becket
Welton Becket
Welton Becket was an architect who designed many buildings in Los Angeles, California.Becket was born in Seattle, Washington and graduated from the University of Washington program in Architecture in 1927 with a Bachelor of Architecture degree .He settled in Los Angeles in 1933 and formed a...
Associates, which was unveiled at a major press event on the "western" backlot in 1957. In 1961, after Fox suffered a string of expensive flops, culminating in the box-office disaster Cleopatra
Cleopatra (1963 film)
Cleopatra is a 1963 British-American-Swiss epic drama film directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. The screenplay was adapted by Sidney Buchman, Ben Hecht, Ranald MacDougall, and Mankiewicz from a book by Carlo Maria Franzero. The film starred Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Roddy...
, the film studio sold about 180 acre (0.7284348 km²) to developer William Zeckendorf
William Zeckendorf
William Zeckendorf, Sr. was a prominent American real estate developer. Through his development company Webb and Knapp – for which he began working in 1938 and which he purchased in 1949 – he developed a significant portion of the New York City urban landscape.-Career:Zeckendorf's...
and Aluminum Co. of America, also known as Alcoa
Alcoa
Alcoa Inc. is the world's third largest producer of aluminum, behind Rio Tinto Alcan and Rusal. From its operational headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alcoa conducts operations in 31 countries...
. The new owners conceived Century City as "a city within a city." In 1963, the first building, Century City Gateway West, was complete, followed the next year by Minoru Yamasaki
Minoru Yamasaki
was a Japanese-American architect, best known for his design of the twin towers of the World Trade Center, buildings 1 and 2. Yamasaki was one of the most prominent architects of the 20th century...
's Century Plaza Hotel
Century Plaza Hotel
The Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles is a landmark 19-story luxury hotel forming a sweeping crescent design fronting the spectacular fountains on Avenue of the Stars adjacent to the twin Century Plaza Towers and the CAA building.- History :...
.
It originally was planned to be served by the Beverly Hills Freeway (Santa Monica Boulevard to the north) and a rapid transit corridor. However, neither of these transportation improvements came to pass, and so Century City is a source of traffic irritation for the residents of Cheviot Hills to the south, since there is no direct freeway access to the center. It is likely that any westward extension of the Los Angeles MTA
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is the California state-chartered regional transportation planning agency and public transportation operating agency for the County of Los Angeles formed in 1993 out of a merger of the Southern California Rapid Transit District and the...
's Metro Purple Line subway
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
will include a stop at Century City.
Much of the shopping center's architecture and style is shown off in numerous sequences in the 1967 Fox film, A Guide for the Married Man
A Guide for the Married Man
A Guide for the Married Man is a 1967 American bedroom farce comedy film starring Walter Matthau, Robert Morse, and Inger Stevens. It was directed by Gene Kelly. It features a large number of cameos, including Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, Terry-Thomas, Jayne Mansfield, Sid Caesar, Carl Reiner, Joey...
, and can also be seen in a sequence in another Fox film of the same year, Caprice. The way the plaza looked in 1972 can be viewed in several scenes of still another Fox film, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes is a 1972 science fiction film directed by J. Lee Thompson. It is the fourth of five films in the original Planet of the Apes series produced by Arthur P. Jacobs. It explores how the apes rebelled from mankind's ill treatment following Escape from the Planet of...
.
Demographics
In 2009, the Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
s "Mapping L.A." project supplied these Century City statistics: population: 5,513; median household income: $95,135.
Economy
Crystal Cruises
Crystal Cruise Lines, most commonly seen as Crystal Cruises, is a Japanese luxury cruise line founded in 1988 and notable for its two medium-sized, high-end ships, Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity, which each hold about 1,000 guests. The line is a wholly owned subsidiary of the large Japanese...
, International Lease Finance Corporation
International Lease Finance Corporation
The International Lease Finance Corporation is an aircraft lessor headquartered in Century City, Los Angeles, California.It is the world's largest aircraft lessor by value, though ILFC's rival, General Electric's GECAS unit, has more aircraft...
, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
(MGM Tower), Creative Artists Agency, Moelis & Co, Canyon Capital Advisors
Canyon Capital Advisors
Canyon Partners is an employee-owned hedge fund founded by Joshua S.Friedman and Mitchell R. Julis in 1990 located in Los Angeles, California....
, Ares Management
Ares Management
Ares Management LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser, is a leading investment firm focused on alternative credit-based strategies, including private equity, private debt, and capital markets activities...
, Imperial Capital, LLC
Imperial Capital, LLC
Imperial Capital, LLC is a full-service investment banking firm with offices in Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Boston, Chicago, and Houston....
and Korn/Ferry
Korn/Ferry
Korn/Ferry International, headquartered in Los Angeles, is the world's largest executive search firm, and the largest publicly-traded search firm in the United States, with 76 offices in North America, Europe, Asia/Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East and South Africa. Since the firm's...
and Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger LLP.
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
was headquartered in Century City until 2011, when it relocated to the Falls Church, Virginia
Falls Church, Virginia
The City of Falls Church is an independent city in Virginia, United States, in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The city population was 12,332 in 2010, up from 10,377 in 2000. Taking its name from The Falls Church, an 18th-century Anglican parish, Falls Church gained township status within...
area. Univision Communications
Univision Communications
Univision Communications is an American Spanish language media company in the United States. Its headquarters are in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Prior to 2007, the headquarters were in Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA.- History :...
had its headquarters in Century City. By 2007 Univision moved its headquarters to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Government and infrastructure
The Los Angeles County Department of Health ServicesLos Angeles County Department of Health Services
Health services to over 10 million residents in the Los Angeles County are provided by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Mental health services are provided by the County Department of Mental Health...
SPA 5 West Area Health Office serves Century City.
Fire service
Los Angeles Fire DepartmentLos Angeles Fire Department
The Los Angeles Fire Department is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles....
Station 92 is the assigned fire station for the district.
Police service
Los Angeles Police DepartmentLos Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
operates the West Los Angeles Community Police Station at 1663 Butler Avenue, 90025, serving the neighborhood.
Education
The neighborhood is within the Los Angeles Unified School DistrictLos Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District is the largest public school system in California. It is the 2nd largest public school district in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population...
. Public schools serving it are Westwood Charter Elementary School, Ralph Waldo Emerson Middle School and Webster Middle School.
Before fall 2007, students in grades 9 through 12 were assigned to Hamilton High School
Alexander Hamilton High School (Los Angeles, California)
Alexander Hamilton High School is a public high school within the Westside of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is in the Los Angeles Unified School District.-History:...
, but, in that term, LAUSD reassigned Century City's 9th graders to University High School
University High School (Los Angeles)
University Senior High School, commonly known as Uni, is a secondary school located in West Los Angeles, a district in Los Angeles, California, United States near the border of Santa Monica. University High is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District . The campus also holds Indian Springs...
, and grades 10 through 12 were to be phased into the University High attendance area.