In 1927, a real estate developer named Harold Janss offered the first thousand lots of Westwood real estate for sale. Janss's father-in-law was the department store tycoon Arthur Letts who founded the Bullocks and Broadway department store chains in California and used his profits to buy the 3,300 acre Wolfskill Ranch. In 1929 the new branch of the University of California, called the University of California at Los Angeles, left Hollywood and built the current campus on a parcel of Letts' ranch. When the first four buildings opened the commercial and residential center Letts' son-in-law built to service all the new university's needs was waiting. Immediately, Westwood was one of Los Angeles' most important neighborhoods.
Westwood Real Estate and UCLA
UCLA and Westwood real estate are inseparable. Westwood is a neighborhood where everybody walks. The architecture in Westwood has always been interesting. The local grocery store, part of the Ralph's chain, is a Spanish Colonial Revival gem with a rotunda. It is one of the original buildings built in 1929 as is the Janss Dome which was the first building completed in Westwood. The neighborhood attracted movie stars and the real estate for sale in Westwood has always been slightly pricey. In the golden age of Hollywood the Village Theater, built in 1931, hosted a premiere a week. Most people would recognize its white, 170 foot Spanish Revival tower. A streamlined Art Deco movie house, built in 1937, called the Bruin sits just across the street. There are six other cinemas within the surrounding blocks and Westwood still hosts movie premieres.
Westwood Real Estate And Quiet Neighbors
Westwood has always been one of the best places in Los Angeles to see movie stars - dead and alive. The Geffen Playhouse, just south of UCLA, is another one of the original buildings in Westwood but it didn't become a theater until 1975. Since then, almost every major movie star has acted on the stage there. The relaxed and upscale retail stores also attract stars. Not many tourists find Westwood so the stars are usually left alone. Also, the real estate for sale in Westwood is the most affordable of the surrounding neighborhoods. Westwood is a very short drive from Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood, Century City and Holmby Hills. It is bounded on the north by Sunset Boulevard and by Wilshire on the south. Just off Wilshire, Westwood Memorial Park is the final resting place of Roy Orbison, Donna Reed, Dean Martin, Natalie Wood, Burt Lancaster and Marilyn Monroe.
Westwood Real Estate Prices
The real estate for sale in Westwood is comparatively affordable than in nearby neighborhoods. The area east of the UCLA campus is a mix of modest modern and Spanish style homes on quiet, tree lined streets. The area south of the campus is dominated by a booming condominium market along the Wilshire corridor. Prices are highest west of campus. The median sale price for all residences in Westwood in December 2010 was $785,000.
