Century City is a 176-acre (71.2 ha) neighborhood and business district in Los Angeles, California, United States. Located on the Westside to the south of Santa Monica Boulevard around 10 miles (16 km) west of Downtown Los Angeles, Century City is one of the most prominent employment centers in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, and its skyscrapers form a distinctive skyline on the city's westside.
The district was developed on the former backlot of film studio 20th Century Studios, and its first building was opened in 1963. Important to the economy are the Westfield Century City shopping center, business towers, and the Fox Studio Lot.[2]
History
The land of Century City belonged to cowboy actor Tom Mix (1880-1940), who used it as a ranch.[3] It later became a backlot of the former 20th Century Fox, which has since divided to become 20th Century Studios, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, and Fox Corporation, which has its headquarters just to the southwest.[3] The area is named for 20th Century Pictures, which merged with Fox Film Corporation, in 1935.
In 1956, Spyros Skouras (1893-1971), who served as the President of the former 20th Century Fox from 1942 until 1962, and his nephew-in-law Edmond Herrscher (died 1983), an attorney sometimes known as "the father of Century City", decided to repurpose the land for real estate development.[3][4] The following year, in 1957, they commissioned a master-plan development from Welton Becket Associates, which was unveiled at a major press event on the "western" backlot later that year.[3]
In 1961, after Fox suffered a string of expensive flops, culminating with the financial strain put on the studio by the very expensive production of Cleopatra, the film studio sold about 180 acres (0.73 km2) to developer William Zeckendorf and Aluminum Co. of America, also known as Alcoa, for US$54 million (US$533 million in 2023 money) who had plans for a $300 million (3 billion 2023) development.[3] Herrscher had encouraged his uncle-in-law to borrow money instead, but once Skouras refused, he was out of the picture.[3]
According to the City of Los Angeles Department of City Planning, Century City constitutes census tract 2679.01.[7]
Century City is generally bounded by Santa Monica Boulevard to the north, the city of Beverly Hills to the east, Pico Boulevard to the south, and Century Park West to the west (including the west side of Century Park West between Santa Monica Boulevard and Constellation Boulevard).[8] These boundaries correspond with those recognized by the Century City Business Improvement District Association.[9][10]
The Mapping L.A. project of the Los Angeles Times extends Century City's western boundary to Beverly Glen Boulevard.[11] However, this more expansive definition is not consistent with other L.A. Times reports: a 1999 article sets Century Park West as Century City's western boundary,[12] and a 2017 article refers to the neighborhood to the west of Century City (between Century Park West and Beverly Glen Boulevard) as distinct from it.[13]
Century City makes up census tract 2679.01, which is 0.4 square miles. The 2000 U.S. Census counted 2,428 residents and 1,812 housing units, for an average of 1.34 persons per household.[7]
The 2017 American Community Survey estimated a population of 2,235 in Century City, or 5,170.1 people per square mile, and 1,929 housing units. Per capita income was $148,638 and median household income was $123,889.[15]
Mapping L.A. data
The following data apply to Century City within the boundaries set by Mapping L.A.:
In 2008, the median age for residents was 46, older than average for the city and the county. The percentage of residents aged 65 and older (26.4%) was the highest for any neighborhood in Los Angeles County. The percentages of widowed men and women and of divorced men were among the county's highest. Military veterans accounted for 11.9% of the population, a high rate for the city and the county.[16][17]
The breakdown was whites, 82.5%; Asians, 8.6%; Latinos, 4.4%; blacks, 1.4%; and others, 3,0%. Iran (21.2%) and Canada (6.1%) were the most common places of birth for the 25.5% of the residents who were born abroad—a low percentage, compared to the city at large.[16]
The median yearly income in 2014 was $95,135, a high figure for Los Angeles. The percentage of households that earned $125,000 and up was high for Los Angeles County. The average household size of 1.8 people was low for Los Angeles. Renters occupied 39.6% of the housing stock and apartment owners held 60.4%.[16]
Economy
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Westfield Century City and Fox Studios occupy important[clarification needed] acreage in the neighborhood. Westfield Century City underwent an $800 million renovation and expansion aiming to maintain the center's status as one of the Westside's premier shopping and entertainment destinations.
Phase II of the D Line Extension, set to open in 2026, will add a subway stop (Century City/Constellation) on the D Line at the intersection of Avenue of the Stars and Constellation Boulevard, in the heart of Century City.
Education
Fifty-five percent of Century City residents aged 25 or over had earned a four-year degree by 2000, a high figure for Los Angeles.[16]
Three private schools are located in or near Century City — VINCI Academy Daycare & Preschool, at 1940 Century Park East; Lycée Français de Los Angeles, at 10361 Pico Boulevard; and Temple Isaiah Preschool and Kindergarten, at 10345 West Pico Boulevard.[26]
^"Contact UsArchived 2011-05-12 at the Wayback Machine." International Lease Finance Corporation. Retrieved on 6 May 2011. "10250 Constellation Blvd. Suite 3400 Los Angeles, CA 90067 USA"
^"Contact Us". Crystal Cruises. Retrieved on January 20, 2010. "Crystal Cruises 2049 Century Park East Suite 1400 Los Angeles, CA 90067"
^"Article: Los Angeles-Based Crystal Cruises Moves to Nearby Location[dead link]." PR Newswire. August 19, 1998. Retrieved on January 20, 2010. "Effective September 8, Crystal Cruises is relocating to larger headquarters a few blocks from its current location in the Century City area of Los Angeles, California."