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The Palms–Village Sun
News, opinion and features about Historic Palms,
including Westside Village — Archives
www.PalmsVillageSun.info
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| This site is not affiliated with any group. Opinions are those of the writers. |
Were these the trees that gave Palms its name? (Probably not)
Gone, all gone — trees, boxcar, incinerator, all gone |
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| According to http://www.cheviothills.org/Palms4.html , these trees were the ones planted near the Palms railroad station in 1887. "The first Palm trees in Palms remain -- albeit unprotected -- hidden between the Santa Monica (I-10) Freeway and an old furniture store on National Boulevard at Vinton Avenue," the site says. (The furniture store later became the National Antiques and Design Center; in 1951 it was a cookie and cracker bakery — the Great Western Biscuit Co. — and in 1957 it housed Douglas Aircraft Co.'s technical publications department, where your Webmaster worked his first year after college.)
The old building was torn down in 2004 and replaced with a storage center. These trees (and the incinerator below) were destroyed.
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Trees and 'plants' graced our neighborhood in early days
These might have indeed been among Palms' oldest trees. An 1887 newspaper reported that the 'incipient town' of Palms 'is no longer a misnomer, as the proprietors have planted two large palms near the depot and some 160 plants in various driveways.'
The 1924 map shows the depot facing the tracks at the extreme upper left, with 'depot grounds' spread beneath it.
1924
National Boulevard was known as Featherstone Drive.
There were only two houses in the area.
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 WE RECEIVED THIS LETTER
It's Scott Dygert with some great news. I was upset that the original palm trees were torn down, and I felt as if I should do something. So I went to collect seeds in the hopes that I could keep the tree and what it stands for alive.
Well, I found better, about a dozen small trees sprouting at the base of the dead stump. I felt they were the children of the lost palm, so I adopted them. They now live in small cups on the ledge of my window.
I feel that they should be planted. but where? Any ideas. Let me know.
Thank you again.
Scott Dygert
(Feb. 14, 2004)
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| For decades this boxcar sat stranded on a stretch of track behind the old cookie factory and near the vacant site of the Palms Station. It couldn't go anywhere; the tracks had been torn out on both ends. Last-minute efforts to move the boxcar to a railroad museum were unsuccessful. |
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| Next to the boxcar was this old commercial incinerator, pre-smog vintage. It was made of used brick, one of them (just above, at right) faintly showing the name of the company that made it. |
| How to Get There |
| Take the drive just east of the Westside Service Center of the Boy Scouts, 10131 National Blvd., and your car will be on the exact route of the old Pacific Electric Railway. The trees, boxcar and incinerator were down the hill to your left, opposite the I-10 Rosa Parks Freeway, behind the storage bldg. |
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Landmarks of Palms and Westside Village
Take this guided tour of the landmarks of our area.
These two landmarks are in Culver City, just across Washington Blvd. from Palms:
These landmarks, all on the same site on National at the north end of Vinton, were destroyed in early 2004:
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