100 Years of Bel-Air Hardcover Book and Deluxe Limited Edition
Bel-Air turns 100 this year, so we are producing a stunning coffee-table book to celebrate our centennial. The book will chronicle the history of Bel-Air, with hundreds of never-before-published photos, vintage maps, brochures, and more. It will be professionally produced by David Silverman of LA House Histories, whose work writing privately commissioned books about LA homes has been profiled in the New York Times, Architectural Digest, and Town & Country. The first 100 Bel-Air Association members who support the project will have their name included in the book and will receive a copy of the hardcover or deluxe limited edition when they are printed next year.
The 100 spots are selling fast, and prices will rise starting June 1, so sign up now to save $500. At the Annual Meeting we offered an extra copy of the hardcover book to anyone who signed up that night, and because of overwhelming demand, we're extending that offer until May 31.
David has discovered hundreds of photos of old Bel-Air that have never been published before, including remarkable images from the 1920s and ‘30s and color photos taken by a Life magazine photographer in 1955. David and the Association uncovered Alphonzo Bell’s archive and they scanned original maps, sales brochures, copies of the monthly newsletter from the 1920s, and hundreds of photos of homes, residents, and the neighborhood. We also interviewed a relative of Alphonzo Bell and received copies of original maps and photos of Bel-Air. The best examples of this material will be included in the book.
Bel-Air resident Anne Sweeney delivered a great overview of the 100 Years of Bel-Air project at our Annual Meeting. You can watch her dynamic 5-minute presentation and get a glimpse of what the books will look like by clicking on the video below.
If you would like to be one of the first 100 supporters, please fill out this form.
And if you have any Bel-Air photographs or other material that you think will be great to include in the book, please let us know.
Here are more details on both editions of the book:
The Bel-Air Association is planning more Bel-Air Centennial events over the coming year, so stay tuned for more!
Hotel Bel-Air pool in 1951.
Zsa Zsa Gabor at her Bel-Air home in the 1960s.
The West Gate in 1951.
Bel-Air Country Club circa 1926.