8/3/2019 Looking Back: Clifford Reid and the Hollywood Riviera - Shooting for the Stars

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/looking-back-clifford-reid-and-the-hollywood-riviera-shooting-for-the-stars 1/2

26 SBdgS.M | 1.13.2012

W B dS K

mirin the scenic beauty an a mi cimate that remine him of the eeant

rench iviera, eveoper iffor ei fe in ove with the unique, square-mie property

aon the coastine just north of aos Veres, an he visuaize another iviera.

ei ha starte his career in ortan, but with the excitin rowth a over

Southern aifornia in the mi-1920s, he soon set his sihts on this area. ntrance

by the motion picture inustry, an enthuse about the open an south of eono

Beach, ei fet it was a natura ocation for the oywoo crow. e came up with

the name, “oywoo iviera” as he imaine the hisie community as a movie star

payroun; notwithstanin the name “oywoo” bein oo for avertisin.

n 1927, ei bean eveopin the 607 acres for the untinton lan ompany.

here were oriina pans for a major thorouhfare connectin the area with los

nees, to be cae the oywoo aos Veres arkway. art of this is sti in

existence toay as far as orrance Bouevar.

ei bean buiin homes with a Spanish architectura esin in keepin with his

oriina vision of a uxurious, iviera-ike oasis aon the aifornia coast. ei’s home,

ocate on Monte d’ro, was the rst home buit in the iviera an is sti consiere

manicent for the area. ary visitors to his home incue ark gabe, gary ooper,

ara Bow, Marion davies, an John an the Barrymore.

otentia an buyers were taken by waon, auto, an street car to the outyin

sites, provie unch, an iven a promotiona speech to persuae them to buy ots.

he rea estate saesmen, a workin for ei, reuary went to hotes in orer to seek

out tourists an brin them to the oywoo iviera eveopment for the saes pitch.

n 1931, the oywoo iviera Beach ub opene on the ciff south of eono

Beach. ei saw this cub as a centra attraction whose amorous imae wou hep

entice homebuyers. esients of the oywoo iviera eveopment automaticay

became cub members, athouh ues were require to use the poo an for any

specia events.

so urin this time, construction bean on a $22,000 home ocate on ae

Mayor near Monte d’ro for Mr. an Mrs. leian rish of oywoo, esine to

provie “an atmosphere of hospitaity foun in the aifornia haciena homes of an

earier ay,” accorin to the orrance era.

thouh the depression brouht about uncertain times for the oywoo iviera,

when the war ene there was increase eveopment as more homes were buit.

n the 1950s, the moern-ay “iviera Viae” was eveope to ensure there were

services an shops avaiabe to the resients.

n the present ay, the oywoo iviera maintains a istinct Meiterranean charm.

Stro throuh the ecectic iviera Viae on any iven ay an it’s not uncommon to see

cameras set up for a m shoot of some sort, takin avantae of the area’s exceptiona

appea. n this way, the oywoo iviera continues to attract the m inustry an

preserves its reationship with oywoo, as rst envisione by iffor ei.

l K g B K

and the

Clifford reid

hollywood

rivieraShootinG for the StarS

8/3/2019 Looking Back: Clifford Reid and the Hollywood Riviera - Shooting for the Stars

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/looking-back-clifford-reid-and-the-hollywood-riviera-shooting-for-the-stars 2/2

VVWS

oywoo iviera has

a tota popuation of

35,000 resients. he

meian ae is 38.69.

he averae househo

income is $101,064.

he oywoo iviera

is consiere part of

the ity of orrance,

but a majority of the

homes have a eono

Beach zip coe.

he oywoo iviera

Beach ub was

estroye by a re in

1958, an the area is

now known by ocas

as “Burnout Beach” in

reference to the cub’s

emise.

wo sets of stairs sti

stan eain up the

hi from orrance

Beach that once e to

the oywoo iviera

Beach ub.

n 1963, a 160-foot

hih rise apartment

buiin was propose

for the site of what is

now Miramar ark (aso

cae dophin ark).

he pan was vetoe by

iviera resients.

PhotograPhS from the marShall Stewart collection, torrance hiStorical Society archiveS

argenBright houSe

DaviS later engStrom

DaiSy o geary houSe

freD marlow houSe

cloSe houSe

Brown houSe

firSt aPartment houSe