Century City planners made an early commitment to excellence, and their standards have never changed. From architecture to industry, Century City is home to the best and the brightest.
In its short 50-year history, Century City has become an internationally recognized prestigious address for business, shopping, luxury living, theatre going, dining, and guest accommodations. It’s come a long way since its historic beginnings in 1958, when it was a movie back lot for the 20th Century Fox film studio.
Century City is located on Los Angeles’ industrious west side. In fact, a major advantage of working, living, and socializing in Century City is its proximity to Beverly Hills, Westwood, Santa Monica, the Olympic corridor, and the Wilshire District.
Century City began as a professional business center, attracting executives from almost every industry. Today, one of the community’s strengths remains its prominence as a central business district, a professional home to 2,500 businesses (and 40,000 employees) including bankers, CPAs, lawyers, real estate firms, doctors, communication and entertainment concerns, association headquarters, and more. Those who work in Century City soon discover that one of its primary assets is the proximity to so many other related businesses.
One of Century City’s most striking features is its architecture. For a 176-acre community that boasts ten million square feet of office space — there’s a compelling cleanliness about Century City, a refreshing, open-air atmosphere. More than 60% of Century City remains open, enhanced by the landscaped Plaza Towers which make a strong architectural statement. Many first-time tourists and visitors to Los Angeles mistake it for downtown — ten miles away.
Century City is, by no means, all work and no play. In fact, it’s the extent and variety of this community’s attractions that have helped to make it a thriving business center. Century City’s impressive amenities are especially important to attracting and keeping its clientele.
Residents, workers, and visitors alike enjoy Century City’s ABC Entertainment Center. Here the Shubert Theatre presents hit Broadway shows; and the Cineplex Odeon Theaters show first-run movies in comfort and style. There are also nightclubs and health clubs.
Shopping enthusiasts come to the Century City Shopping Center and Marketplace to discover a whole new world of the best shopping, dining, and entertainment in Los Angeles. The Shopping Center features 150 one-of-a-kind stores and the colorful sights, sounds, and smells of the magnificent new Festival Marketplace. Visitors can also enjoy the magic of the movies at the luxurious ACM Century 14 Theaters.
A convenient pedestrian bridge rising above Avenue of the Stars connects the shopping center with office towers. It’s the availability of such conveniences as this, along with pedestrian walkways, that makes Century City an enjoyable walking community, and contributes to its open air ambiance.
Century City hotels provide state-of-the-art accommodations for out-of-town visitors, many of whom are dignitaries or corporate chiefs. The Century Plaza Hotel & Tower, a familiar Los Angeles landmark and host to presidents and kings, the elegant JW Marriott Hotel, the Beverly Prescott Hotel, and the Century City Inn combine to provide over 1,600 rooms for guests visiting Century City.
The area’s residential community is equally upscale. From condominiums to townhomes and high-rises, the living options in Century City offer some of L.A.’s finest and most elegant floor plans and features. Century City’s residential community currently numbers approximately 4,000.
To accommodate a luxury lifestyle and bustling business and entertainment district there are restaurants, more than three dozen in fact, some of which are considered the finest in Los Angeles. From casual to five-star, they cover the spectrum of dining opportunities and cuisines.
Office towers, hotels, entertainment facilities, shopping centers, and restaurants don’t make a community — that takes commitment. Within Century City today, there is a growing sense of Community that the residents and businesses of this self-contained city are fostering in an effort to encourage growth in all the right directions.
1999 Avenue of the Stars, the newest high-rise building built in Century City, began construction in the fall of 1988. Combining the innovative design of Johnson, Faine, and Periera Associates and the extensive experience of JMB/Urban Development Company, 1999 offers a prestigious image for those firms that want the finest in efficiently designed, contemporary office space. The 39-story granite and glass tower with its dramatic curve and highly articulate facade creates a unique profile on the Los Angeles skyline.
Century City may be growing quickly, but it is not growing out of hand. Two entities that are looking out for its future are the Century City Property Owners Association and the Chamber of Commerce. They are concerned about far more than maintaining Century City’s prestigious image.
Century City developers have been successful in assuring that the varied and mutual needs of businesses, visitors, and residents are all being met. What has been forged, in the process, is a community spirit that has given Century City its reputation as an upscale business center with a welcoming atmosphere.
The Best Is Yet To Come!