Beachcombing LA

History, Atmosphere at The Grove and Farmers Market

by: Josh Marks

If relatives are in town for the holidays and cabin fever is setting in, it is worth a trip up to the Fairfax district in Los Angeles to explore two of the oldest and newest landmarks in the city. The Grove and adjacent Farmers Market at 3rd and Fairfax provide an antidote to the stodgy indoor shopping malls scattered around the Southland.

The Farmers Market has been attracting visitors since 1934 and The Grove has been a popular tourist destination since it opened in 2002. However, there is an interesting history on this land that precedes even the Farmers Market.

In the late 1800’s entrepreneur Arthur Fremont Gilmore settled in L.A. from Illinois and moved his family to an adobe house on what was then undeveloped territory (the still-standing original structure is located behind Maggiano’s restaurant between CBS Television City and The Grove).

Gilmore was a dairy farmer and one day he was drilling for water in an attempt to expand his dairy farm and struck oil. He subsequently founded the Gilmore Oil Company which became the largest petroleum company in the west.

In 1934 his son Earl Bell Gilmore built Gilmore Stadium which had a race track and was also home to the Bulldogs, the first professional football team in Los Angeles. He then went on to construct Gilmore Field which was home to a minor league baseball team owned by many celebrities including singer and actor Bing Crosby and legendary director Cecil B. DeMille. The team was appropriately called the Hollywood Stars.

The Grove is now the main attraction. It is a 575,000 square-foot retail and entertainment complex with a recreated main street and a dancing water fountain. The centrally located fountain in front of the regal-looking Pacific Theatres was created by the same company that designed the fountains at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. The Grove is connected to the Farmers Market by a green trolley which was built on an undercarriage from a 1950s Boston street car. The car is powered by a magnetic field – the first use of inductive power technology in the United States.

While The Grove and Farmers Market will be just as crowded this time of year as any shopping mall, the festive atmosphere, interesting history and unique design make it worth a trip. Parking shouldn’t be a problem, there are 3,500 spaces and each of seven levels tells you exactly how many spaces are available.

For more information about The Grove call (323) 900-8080 and for the Farmers Market call (323) 933-9211. From Long Beach take the 405 north to the 10 west and exit at Fairfax heading north to 3rd St.