Interesting City Intersections

The six-way intersection: At the meeting of three streets, Lomitas, Beverly and Canon drives, you will find quite an unusually large intersection. Unlike many European cities and many in the United States where traffic at a wide intersections of more than two streets is aided by a roundabout island, our forefathers decided long ago that this would not be. Were the reasons for that decision based on technical factors? This is unknown. 

This intersection is one block from our pre-1930s civic center (the ).  also sits on one of its corners. The intersection is used to reach both Benedict and Coldwater canyons. So, it has always been heavily traveled. The cooperation of all drivers is necessary to have made this area safe for more than 70 years. It may be the one element of Beverly Hills that provides final acknowledgment of the supreme patience and benevolence of our residents. Or not!

The intersection consisted of bean fields before being paved in 1907. Between 1912-16, neighbors played baseball games there, giving this writer the incentive to describe the intersection as developing from a bean to a baseball field. Being close to both the Sunset and Rodeo bridal paths, horse shows were hosted at the intersection as well.

City Councilman John Mirisch wrote, "I actually love the intersection. It kind of reminds me of the old days, when drivers weren't as aggressive, people didn't cut you off as much, cars yielded without honking, etc. It's the one intersection where people actually have to be considerate of everyone else. They have to cooperate to get across the street. And it's one of the safest intersections in the city. As said, priceless." 

The Electric Fountain: This name is given to the water feature located on the corner of Santa Monica and Wilshire boulevards. The plot of land at what was once called "The Point" was donated by the Rodeo Land and Water Company. The fountain is illuminated by a changing pattern of colored lights. The sculpture and tiles that make up the design of the fountain and its base pay homage to the founding of the city. It features a statue of a Tongva, a member of the local native American tribe kneeling in prayer. It gives thanks to the fertility and abundance of land. Designer Merrell Gage was a renowned member of the creative team. Originally, the Fountain's water jets and color effects were timed to give 60 different combinations every eight minutes. 

The text inscription from the plaque on a stone wall reads: "This ground was purchased and developed into a park by the property owners of Beverly Hills north of Santa Monica Boulevard who have donated it to the city, all under the sponsorship of The Beverly Hills Residential Protective Association whose officers and directors are R. V. Morrison, President. Vice Presidents: W. A. Alderson; Edward P. Dentzel; Warde Fowler; Wm. B. Joyce; A. E. McManus; Conrad Nagel; C. A. Scull; John F. Starr; C. H. Wyant. Directors: Mrs. W. A. Alderson; P. F. Benedict; Lee Champion; Mrs. Edward P. Dentzel; A. R. Draves; Mrs. M. J. Gilbert; Frank C. Hedger; W. B. Hunnewell; Earl C. Jameson; Ward Lascelle; Parker M. Lewis; Ralph P. Lewis; W. D. Longyear; A. G. Mauss; E. M. Mauss; Mrs. R. V. Morrison; Mrs. J. E. Orbison; J. E. Orbison; G. M. Pardee; Charles Pfeiffer; Frederick M. Pitt; Paris B. Reeves; J. W. Ruffner; Mrs. W. S. Sessions; W. S. Sessions; Ivan Siegrist; Jacob. J. Siegrist; Elizabeth Lloyd Smith. Dedicated A. D. 1931. Cook, Hall and Cornell - Landscape Architects. For this fountain: Ralph Carlin Flewelling - Architect; Merrell Gage - Sculptor."

City leaders primed residents for the fountain by announcing that an exciting new feature would soon be revealed. According the the Beverly Hills Citizen newspaper, when it was unveiled in 1931, the Electric Fountain stopped traffic for hours. Total cost of the Fountain was $22,000, $8,000 of which was spent for electrical equipment and wiring.* The building of the fountain was funded by the , a powerful political group of the period. During the Great Depression, the fountain was turned off during weeknights in order to save its cost of electricity.

Approximately a dozen years ago, the fountain was renovated according to original plans. Upon completion of the Electric Fountain's renovation, the city had a well-attended "re-lighting Ceremony". You are invited to park near the fountain in the evening and watch it's dancing colors.

Our city's diagonal-crossing intersections: It was once called the scramble system. The idea was to allow everyone to cross from any corner at once. Beverly Hills modified a number of intersections within its business triangle to allow "pedestrian diagonal crossing" in 1987 as a way to improve safety, both for pedestrians and drivers and to help traffic flow. A New York resident wrote that it was supposed to end the NYC practice of crossing on the red. That didn't happen.

The diagonal crossings are known as "pedestrian scrambles." They were first used in Canada and the United States in the late 1940s. They are sometimes called "Barnes Dance" after Denver Traffic Engineer Henry Barnes where the diagonal crossing intersection was invented 60 years ago. The nickname "Dance" came about because pedestrians can dance when they meet at the center of the intersection as this writer once actually spontaneously did when accidentally bumping into a friend in the middle of the intersection on North Canon Drive. 

Depending on the location, type of traffic and scale, scrambles can help or impede traffic and safety. Data for the nine years before and after the upgrade of six "pedestrian scramble" crossings was analyzed by the city's engineering department, revealing a 66 percent reduction in pedestrian/vehicle collisions. The next time you cross these Beverly Hills intersections, ask somebody to dance with you.

Thank you for reading, Russ

*From "Request for Determination of Eligibility for Inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places," prepared by Lois M. Webb and George Casen, p.2.