Then and Now

Let's look back to a corner of Culver City.  This area of Culver City is called Fox Hills, adjacent to what was known as The Fox Hills Mall, now known as the Westfield Mall.  Fox Hills was annexed to Culver City in 1964, at which time it consisted of undeveloped land, riding stables, and golf courses. In the 1970s, the neighborhood was developed with apartments, condominiums, and the Fox Hills Mall, an indoor shopping center that opened in 1975

Slauson & Hannum Avenues, Culver City, February 1941

Notice the oil fields of Blair and Baldwin Hills in the background
photo courtesy of LAPL archives

It was raining like crazy on February 17, 1941. The caption for the above photo from the Herald Examiner reads: "Caught in the grip of the storm, autos are shown stalled hub-cap deep in mud at Slauson and Hannum Avenues in Culver City on February 17, 1941. Overnight nearly an inch of rain fell in Los Angeles, forming lakes of water and mud over the main streets in a number of outlying sections. The four-day storm brought a total of 3.06 inches of rain."
Today, the corner of Slauson and Hannum is occupied by the Westfield (Fox Hills) Mall and a number of other big box stores, as well as the 405 Freeway. The streets and the storm drains seem to have been upgraded in the past 79 years.

Slauson & Hannum, Culver City. Screen Grad, Google Earth

Whenever I drive around town and see large developments, I always wonder, "what was there?" Does that happen to you?