ROOTED HERE
Behind the downtown streets.
A whole city’s story.
Beverly Hills grew from the Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas landscape into an independent city in 1914. Its history is visible in the street plan, gardens, hotels and the former Doheny estate at Greystone.
People made the city.
These milestones are an introduction, not a complete local history. Follow the linked city and museum sources to explore the people and places behind them.Read the local historical account.
- 1914
An independent city
Beverly Hills incorporated in 1914.
City or museum historical source ↗ - 1928
The Doheny estate
Greystone was completed for Ned and Lucy Doheny and their family.
City or museum historical source ↗ - 1965
City ownership
Beverly Hills purchased the Greystone property.
City or museum historical source ↗ - 1971
A public park
Greystone was formally dedicated as a public park.
City or museum historical source ↗
See the history for yourself.
Walk downtown to see surviving commercial architecture, then explore the Historical Preservation Society’s museum and visiting information. Check current opening dates before setting out. Historical Preservation Society.
For deeper research, the Beverly Hills library resources is a starting point for archival material and research help. Historic photographs have their own permissions; we link to the collection instead of treating every old image as free to reuse.
Selected milestones researched September 13, 2026. This is an introduction, not a complete account of the city’s history.