The responsibility of preparing the American public for a potential attack during World War II was seen as a necessary addition to war-time efforts following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Leaving this responsibility to state or local governments seemed too risky, so President Franklin D. Roosevelt initiated the Office of Civilian Defense , later the Federal Civil Defense Administration, as a national program under the Office of Emergency Planning. After the end of the war, Civil Defense programs grew significantly in response to the Cold War. In order to meet the need for large-scale recruitment and training, the FCDA began collaborating with state and local governments, as well as private organizations. Local officials and community organizers would provide recruitment and training programs, as well as numerous municipal resources in order to further federally constructed mandates. Below are some of the centers involved in the administration of Civil Defense activities, and the national Community Fallout Shelter Program.
City Hall
|
Today, the building known as City Hall, or “the New City Hall” is actually Culver City's second City Hall. The original City Hall building was built in 1928 and dedicated in 1929. It was the first building in Culver City specifically built to house city offices. Prior to its construction, city offices occupied the second floor of a theater owned by Harry Culver, which were later moved to allow Culver to build his hotel. The original City Hall building was located on the corner of present day Culver Blvd. and Duquesne Ave., on the same site as the current City Hall building. The new version, which was opened in 1995, has a façade reminiscent of the original building. In addition to being involved in the administration of Civil Defense, government buildings like City Hall were important sites for Civil Defense shelter surveyors. Not only were they easily assimilated into the Federal Civil Defense program, but they also addressed another key element of Civil Defense planning, the "continuity of government," which was a central tenet of the government's strategy of deterring a nuclear attack.
During the early stages of the Cold War, it was believed that an enemy would not initiate an attack if there were even the slightest chance of a (nuclear) retaliation. This thinking eventually led to the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD), in which anything less than complete annihilation of the other side essentially guaranteed the destruction of both sides. Therefore, the survival of citizens went hand-in-hand with the ability of governing bodies to survive an attack. Both were a message to the other side that “complete” annihilation was going to be difficult to achieve. It was common for court houses, city halls, and other city or state buildings to become dedicated public fallout shelters. They played an essential role in the performance of “preparedness” as a deterrent. In the shelter survey of 1967, City Hall is listed as having a fully-stocked shelter that would have accommodated 158 people. Though technically a public building and shelter, it is likely that these limited spaces would have been quickly filled by high-ranking city officials and city employees. |
9770 Culver Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232 
1928 City Hall (circa 1950). Courtesy of the Culver City Historical Society.
Architectural elements on "New" City Hall (1995) reminiscent of original building. Courtesy of Center for Land Use Interpretation.
|
Police Facility Building
|
The Culver City Police Station was first located on the westerly side of the 1928 City Hall, but eventually moved further down Duquesne Avenue. The current facility was expanded and rededicated in 1999. When first opened, however, the Police Facility Building incorporated the latest systems in equipment designed for “maximum utilization of the staff”. In addition to its service to the Culver City Police Department, it also served as the Civil Defense Emergency Operating Center. Although it is only listed as an administrative building by a 1967 Federal Civil Defense Survey, a 1968 promotional information booklet, published by the Culver City Chamber of Commerce, claims that the building had “complete inventory stocks to sustain the population of the area in the event of disaster.” It is unclear exactly how many people and supplies the building would have actually housed, but it is doubtful that the facility would have been able to sustain “the population” of Culver City.
From its early efforts in World War II, Civil Defense had partnered with police and fire departments to increase the level of response in the case of domestic attacks. During the war, when the threat of bomber planes loomed, police officers would enforce “black out” drills and prepare for pre-attack evacuations, or post-attack emergency management. During the Cold War, with the introduction of weapons of mass destruction, Civil Defense recruitment of auxiliary police and firefighters took on a grander scale. Large numbers were trained in order to ensure that among the potential survivors or a nuclear attack there would be enough trained individuals to supply law and order in a post-attack world. In the event of an actual attack, the Culver City Police Facility building would have been converted into a nerve center for Civil Defense operations. |
4040 Duquesne Ave.
Culver City, CA 
Current view of Duquesne Police Facility.
|
Legion Building
|
The Legion Building was constructed by the American Legion Post #46 in 1930. Don S. Ely was the contractor of the two-story "clubhouse", which was constructed over Culver City’s first swimming pool, the "Culver Plunge", on land donated by Harry Culver. The American Legion has since moved to another building, but the building became well-known as an entertainment venue with social events sponsored by the American Legion and Auxiliary. The facility was available to anyone in the armed services, or any honorably discharged veteran. In addition to being a social venue, during the Cold War, the American Legion also served Civil Defense recruitment efforts.
Civil Defense often created partnerships with numerous community organizations, as well as active groups like the Boy Scouts of America, the Girl Scouts, 4H clubs, as well as family and veteran organizations like the American Legion. However, unlike these other organizations, the American Legion was essential in petitioning president FDR for the creation of an Office of Civil Defense Planning during WWII, and had even proposed that he designate the organization to lead Civil Defense efforts. Although Civil Defense remained a federal program, the Legion continued to have an active role in Civil Defense recruitment and training, and they often provided their own administrative oversight concerning Civil Defense-related activities. Early in the Cold War, the American Legion sponsored a radio program entitled, "Subversive Activities," which was a fictional tale of an idealistic young man who is is politically seduced by a Communist front group organizer. The program was introduced with the theme that "in America today, subversive elements thrive and prosper as never before." In 1958, Mrs. Estella Hanell of Culver City served as the Western Division Chairman of Civil Defense for the American Legion and Auxiliary. In an article by the Daily Independent Journal of San Rafael, Mrs. Hanell stated, “A strong Civil Defense preparedness program is a major deterrent to enemy attack on our country”, to which the article adds that “the majority of 17 million [American Legion] volunteers were women serving in specialized jobs for survival in possible atomic attack”. Even today, the American Legion continues to work with FEMA, Civil Defense's successor, in emergency preparedness programs for environmental disasters. |
3824 Hughes Ave.
Culver City, CA 90232 
|
"Amateur Radio & The American Legion". The American Legion Amateur Radio Club. N.D.
"". The Center for Land Use Interpretation. N.D.
"". Culver City Historical Society. N.D.
"". Culver City Historical Society. N.D.
Patrick, Robert S. Disasters and the American State: How Politicians, Bureaucrats, and the Public Prepare for the Unexpected. Cambridge University Press, 2013.
Lanset, Andy. "". New York Public Radio Archives and Preservation, 2014
"". The Center for Land Use Interpretation. N.D.
"". Culver City Historical Society. N.D.
"". Culver City Historical Society. N.D.
Patrick, Robert S. Disasters and the American State: How Politicians, Bureaucrats, and the Public Prepare for the Unexpected. Cambridge University Press, 2013.
Lanset, Andy. "". New York Public Radio Archives and Preservation, 2014