Old Sherman Oaks Pictures
(ca. 1920)* - View of Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, in the San Fernando Valley.
Historical Notes
Sherman Oaks was one of the first Valley communities to experience intensive real estate development. Anticipating the development of the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913, Los Angeles Suburban Homes Co. purchased 47,500 acres of the southeast Valley in 1910. In 1911, a subdivision map called Tract 1000 was filed with Los Angeles County. From that parcel, one of the partners in the company, General Moses Hazeltine Sherman, bought 1,000 acres for himself. In 1927, Sherman subdivided the property and sold the land for $780 an acre. Moses Sherman just happened to be on the Board of Water Commissioners at the time and is said to have had inside information on the proposed route of the new LA Aqueduct.
As part of his speculation in purchasing the southern San Fernando Valley in 1910, Sherman retained an interest in the neighborhood of Sherman Oaks in the San Fernando Valley, which continues to bear his name to this day. The street Sherman Way, running east-west from West Hills to Burbank in the San Fernando Valley remains (though it covers only half of the original grand highway). Hazeltine Avenue, which runs north-south from Sherman Oaks to Panorama City, was named after Moses Sherman's daughter, "Hazeltine".
– Aerial view of Sherman Oaks looking southeast. Same as previous photo but annotated with street names. Annotation by Rich Krugel at West San Fernando Valley – Then & Now.
(1939)* - Exterior view of the La Reina Theater, located at 14626 Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks. Movies currently showing are "Thanks for Everything" and "Trade Winds", starring Fred March, Joan Bennet, and Robert Benchley.
(Early 1940s)^^^* - View looking west on Ventura Boulevard at Van Nuys Blvd in Sherman Oaks.
