Photo © Los Angeles Public Library

Sunset Boulevard

Description

The 22-mile-long road stretches from Hollywood to Malibu Beach, connecting two of the highlights of Los Angeles while winding past Beverly Hills, Bel Air, UCLA and Brentwood.

Developed, 1877

In 1877, the developer Harvey Henderson Wilcox decided to subdivide more than 20 acres of orchards and vineyards along Sunset Boulevard, including what is today Hollywood and Vine.

Addition, 1921

In 1921 a westward expansion of Sunset began, extending the road from the then-current terminus at Sullivan Canyon toward the coast.

Redeveloped, 1950

The Sunset Strip portion of Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood has been famous for its active nightlife since at least the 1950s. Radio Row was understood in the 1940s-1950s as the area where the broadcasting facilities of all four major radio networks were located.

Factoids

1950-The boulevard is commemorated in Billy Wilder's film 'Sunset Boulevard'.

1993-'Sunset Boulevard' the musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton, opened in London.

1970-The Sunset Strip became synonymous with the Los Angeles heavy metal movement, commonly referred to as the West Coast Metal Explosion. The clubs on the Sunset Strip such as the Starwood, Whisky a Go Go, and The Roxy, became home to numerous LA-based heavy metal bands such as Van Halen, Quiet Riot, Mötley Crüe, Ratt and LA Guns.

Related Sites

Sunset Boulevard (film)

Hollywood

Map View

Sunset Blvd

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Timeline

1877

1921

1950

1950 - Redeveloped

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1950 - Redeveloped - Images

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Sunset Boulevard historically extended farther east than it does now, starting at Alameda Street near Union Station and beside Olvera Street in the historic section of Downtown.

The Sunset Strip portion of Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood has been famous for its active nightlife since at least the 1950s.

The Comedy Store was opened in April 1972 by comedians Sammy Shore, and Rudy De Luca, and boasts of hosting stalwarts such as George Carlin, Chevy CHase, Dave CHappelle, Whoopi Goldberg, David Letterman and Jerry Seinfeld.

1921 - Addition

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1921 - Addition - Images

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Circa 1931, Sunset was a paved road from Horn Avenue to Havenhurst Avenue.

In 1921, the parish of the Blessed Sacrament Church paid $75,000 for the land on Sunset Boulevard that is the current home of the church.

The Strip’s first significant commercial development was Sunset Plaza. With the implementation of Prohibition in 1920, the Strip’s lawless allure only swelled, and while growth accelerated, the Strip retained a rural, makeshift feel.

Originally known as the La Boheme from 1929 to 1933, the Trocadero was opened by The Hollywood Reporter publish Billy Wilkerson in 1934.

1877 - Developed

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1877 - Developed - Images

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The Boulevard used to be a pastoral farm land dotted by gracious rural homes like the Plummer Estate and Cielo Vista, the estate of Charles Harper. Pictured here is a casaba melon field near the corner of Sunset and Harper.

In its early days, the Sunset Strip was surrounded by avocado groves and poinsettia fields, like this one on Sunset Boulevard near Doheny.

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