|
 The stock market crash of 1929 brought
the City's industrial growth & real
estate development to an abrupt halt. The depression extended to the
middle 1930's when increased employment at Lockheed Aircraft and construction
work
created by the Metropolitan Water District brought improvement to the
economic situation. In 1940 Lockheed purchased the Union Air Terminal
keeping it open
for public use and for testing Lockheed built aircraft.
As World War II broke out Lockheed was building record numbers of famous
Hudson bombers, the P-38 and PV-1 Venture. Lockheed subcontracted some assembly
work to dozens of businesses that sprung up around the City.
A new era began for Burbank at mid-century. For the first time in a town's
history a period of prosperity did not come to a halt at the end of a cycle
of sudden growth. The wartime industrial boom had been followed by a postwar
real estate boom, leaving few undeveloped areas in the Community. Burbank
had just passed through a period of growing pains for a city
|
Burbank
was born during the Southern California land boom of the 1880's when
thousands of Americans came West during the railroad rate war between
Santa Fe and Southern Pacific. 
Movies were big news in Burbank as early as 1920's with production
companies shooting many scenes on City streets. First National
Pictures (later to become
Warner Bros.) started building its huge lot in 1926. Columbia purchased
40 acres in 1934 for the Columbia Ranch with another 40 acres added
in 1949.
The City's position in the entertainment world continued to mount
with the
opening of Walt Disney Studios in 1939 and NBC's purchase of property
in 1951 for its color studios.