Beverlywood

Beverlywood may sound like the name a corner market located at the intersection of certain well-known boulevards, but those who live in the area know it as an exclusive hidden gem among the many neighborhoods that make up our vast city.

Established in 1940 by the Walter H. Leimert Company (of Leimert Park fame), the high end residential community south of Beverly Hills soon established itself as one of the premier subdivisions in the areas adjacent to Robertson Boulevard.

According to Greg Fischer, L.A.'s unofficial resident historian, the property was owned not by Leimert, but by group called the Beverly-Arnaz Company. The Beverly Arnaz Company consisted of prominent Los Angeles businessmen who named themselves after Don Jose de Arnaz -- one of the original owners of the ranch that came to be known as the South Robertson area.

Rincon de los Bueyes, or "cattle ranch," as the ranch was called, was originaly patented in 1872 to Arnaz and his partner Francisco Higuera. Their names still live on today -- Arnaz Drive, as Robertson Boulevard was once called, is now a short street that runs parallel to it; Higuera Street is what Roberton Boulevard turns into once it enters Culver City.

Today Beverlywood lives on as an exclusive residential community, with few changes since its incorporation more than seven decades ago. A tight-knit homeowner's association succesfully fought off plans for redevelopment that had claimed the historic character of neighboring communities.

Beverlywood is considered "An Incorporated Community," with all residents required to pay the fees to the Beverlywood Home Assocation. The poweful influence of the Association works to maintain the immaculately rendered front lawns and the uniformly exquite facade of the grand homes, while the parks within its boundaries are restricted to "Members Only" -- keeping its property values higher than in immediate neighboring communities.