History
A History of South Brentwood
CELEBRATING 60 YEARS OF LIVING IN BRENTWOOD
BY LAUREL DAVIDSON
When I moved here from New York in 1961, Brentwood was a very small town. There were no chain stores. There were three markets: Vicente Foods, Pied Piper, where Fazio Cleaners is now, and Westward Ho, located in the space that is now Whole Foods.
The Country Mart was very quaint. It had its own bakery, meat market, a small grocery store, and a deli named Marjans. It was the place to spot celebrities and dine on barbecued chicken and mart fries at Redi Chick.
San Vicente Blvd. had a neighborhood pharmacy called Diebold’s, a hobby shop named Jahn’s, and Bantam Swim School. The best place of all was the Grand Variety Hardware Store, (a glorified 5 & 10 cents store.) I still own the Pilgrim and Turkey candles that I bought there for 25 cents each!
There was a wonderful Pizza Restaurant called Regular Jon’s where Coral Tree Café is today. Neighborhood kids played on a fire truck out in front. All the local schools would have fundraisers there. It was even in a scene from Ferris Buehler’s Day Off.
I have spent my entire adult life in Brentwood, where I met my late husband, Shelly, who lived across the hall from me on Darlington. After we married, we lived on Kiowa. My last move was to my home on South Bundy Drive, where I have lived for 42 years, raising our 2 daughters, Melissa and Joyce there. They attended Brentwood Presbyterian Nursery School, Brentwood Elementary School, (later, Brentwood Science Magnet School), Paul Revere Jr. High School and Palisades High School. I was very active in the PTA’s and Advisory Councils. Vicente Foods was always a great meeting location where we discussed issues while we shopped. It was like a Town Hall Meeting Place with groceries.
It’s hard for me to believe that I’ve called Brentwood my home for 50 years. The Brentwood Community has been a very nurturing place for me. The residents are wonderful and the sense of community is incredible!!
From an Interview with Ron Grant and Benida Solow, November 2010
South Brentwood Homeowners Association was officially incorporated In the early 1970’s in response to plans to rezone and develop a creek and forested area still referred to as the “Gross Property,” a large parcel located north of Wilshire and west of Wellesley Ave. Ron Grant, in his video interview on this page, highlights the meeting which took place circa 1973, in which developers were defeated in their attempt to rezone all of South Brentwood to R-3, thereby opening up the flood gates for high density apartment and condominium developments from Wilshire north and from west of Bundy to Carmelina and all the way up to Montana. Without this unified force from the community, South Brentwood’s single family neighborhood and environment would have been lost.
There were many, many projects and zoning issues during this period when Marie Lewis, Gordon Treharne, Ben Chaffey, Nancy Jaffe, Jerry Lubin, Ron Grant and Benida Solow were leaders of SBHA. The landmark item during this period was the Brentwood – Pacific Palisades Community Plan (see http://cityplanning.lacity.org/complan/pdf/btwcptxt.pdf) The Brentwood Community Federation, (whcih consisted of the presidents of the many Brentwood homeowners organizations and preceded the current Brentwood Community Council), and of course the SBHA, were instrumental in giving input to the city as this affected zoning, density, traffic.
In the 1980s, the SBHA unsuccessfully fought the height variances required to build tall buildings on Wilshire Blvd., but was instrumental in notifying authorities when buildings under construction on Wilshire dug into the 13-foot sacred Gabriolino Tongva Indian water table and water rushed onto the neighboring streets. (This is why underground parking on Wilshire is not possible!)
In 1994, in response to complaints about heavy traffic and noisy news helicopters following the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman on South Bundy Drive, SBHA represented the community well. The Association thrived under the leadership of Jackie Raymond at this time and for the following eight years, during which time close ties were established with the mayor’s office, the council office, and law enforcement.
Kenter Creek
Kenter Creek is a rare natural urban watercourse, a perennial "Blue Line" stream that runs above and below ground from the Santa Monica Mountains through Brentwood and Santa Monica into Santa Monica Bay. As with a few other Westside creeks and streams, Kenter Creek originates in the hills north of Sunset Blvd. South of Sunset it includes Canyon View Drive, Anita and its spurs, Wellesley, Centinela and South Carmelina. It flows underground through the Brentwood Country Club, and then re-emerges south of Montana Ave.
Between Montana Ave. and Wilshire Blvd., the creek is fed by underground springs and flows throughout the year. In this section, the creek flows through the backyards of approximately 75 homes and is not generally visible at street level. However, the creek and the lush green belt that borders it can be easily traced in aerial photos - a quiet oasis of vegetation amidst the concrete and asphalt of the surrounding city.
To contain and control flooding, engineers have restructured the course of feeder waters to the creek, diverting storm surges to protect downstream property. While this re-engineering has provided stability and predictability to its banks, the lack of natural flow variations has hampered the ability of the creek to maintain its natural riparian ecosystem.
A major threat to the viability of Kenter Creek and to other watercourses in the area has been the negligent actions of residents. Dumping, landscaping and structural intrusions have been commonplace. For example, one former resident deposited a non-native crayfish species into the creek, which virtually eliminated the large native Pacific Tree Frog population.
A group of homeowners along Kenter Creek has organized the Kenter Creek Committee, under the sponsorship of the South Brentwood Residents Association (SBRA). Their goals are to inform the public, to bring all existing construction into compliance, prevent future illegal construction or blockage of its flow to Santa Monica Bay, and restore Kenter Creek, working closely with neighbors and local and state officials.
In cooperation with SBRA, Kenter Creek Committee has created a letter and Guide, which includes information about the many federal, state and local regulations which protect the creek. The Guide has been delivered to all homeowners along the creek south of Montana as well as to local realty offices.
But more work needs to be done. We hope that the homeowners north of Montana will join in the effort to repair and protect Kenter Creek so that the entire creek can become a viable ecosystem for generations to come.
Big Brentwood Fire Reveals Big Brentwood Hearts
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