Century City

The homes

Century City was built from the 1960s onward on land that had been part of the 20th Century Fox backlot, planned as a city within a city of offices, a hotel, a shopping center and apartments. The Fox Studio lot still sits next door. Homes here are almost all high-rise condos. The twin Century Towers on Avenue of the Stars, designed by I.M. Pei and finished in 1964, were the first residential buildings. Robert A.M. Stern's elliptical 42-story tower, The Century, opened in 2010, and the two glass towers behind the Fairmont Century Plaza were completed in 2021.

Most buildings are full-service, with doormen, valet, pools, gyms and landscaped grounds, and many units have long views to the ocean, the hills or Downtown. If you want a house instead, the single-family streets of Cheviot Hills and Beverlywood are just to the south, across Pico Boulevard, with Traditional and Spanish homes on regular city lots.

The feel

• Avenue of the Stars is the main boulevard, wide and planted, running past office towers and the curved 1960s Century Plaza hotel by Minoru Yamasaki.
• Westfield Century City is an open-air mall with gardens, fountains and an upper-level dining terrace, plus a cinema and a full-size Eataly.
• The Fox Studio lot sits along Pico Boulevard on the south side, a working studio with sound stages and backlot streets behind its gates.
• Beverly Hills is next door. Santa Monica Boulevard divides the two, so Rodeo Drive and Beverly Gardens Park are minutes away.

Eat, drink, shop

• Eataly (Westfield Century City). A large Italian market with counters for pasta, pizza and seafood, and Terra, a rooftop grill. The Infatuation
• Din Tai Fung (Westfield Century City). A big, polished dining room for soup dumplings and noodles. The Infatuation
• Super Peach (Westfield Century City). Dave Chang's Korean-leaning spot, good for drinks and small plates between shops. The Infatuation
• Katsuya (Westfield Century City). Sleek Japanese restaurant known for spicy tuna on crispy rice. The Infatuation
• Ramen Nagi (Westfield Century City). Rich ramen bowls you build to your own taste. The Infatuation

Getting around

Century City sits between Santa Monica, Olympic and Pico Boulevards, with the 405 about five minutes west and the 10 a short drive south. Outside rush hour, Beverly Hills is a few minutes, Santa Monica 15 to 20 and LAX 20 to 30. Most buildings have underground garages and valet, and the area's big streets clog at office rush hour. The D Line subway station at Constellation and Avenue of the Stars is on the way.

What's new

• Century City/Constellation subway station. The D Line section with stations in Beverly Hills and Century City is under construction and tentatively set to open in spring 2027 (Spectrum News).
• Century City Center. A new office tower of about 37 stories at 1950 Avenue of the Stars, with CAA as anchor tenant, has been rising over the new station, with completion reported around 2025 to 2026 (Urbanize LA).
• One Beverly Hills. Just across Santa Monica Boulevard, this 17.5-acre project with an Aman hotel, Aman residences and botanical gardens is under construction, with phased delivery planned starting in 2027 (Construction Dive).

Good to know

• City of LA, not Beverly Hills. Century City is part of the City of Los Angeles, and development here is shaped by its own specific plans. Some nearby addresses are in Beverly Hills, so confirm which city a home is in.
• HOA dues, reserves and rules. Full-service towers carry significant dues. Ask for the budget, reserve study, minutes, assessment history, and pet, rental and remodeling rules.
• Condo financing. Some lenders have extra requirements for high-rise condos, so have your lender review the building early.
• Construction for now. Subway and tower work around Constellation and Avenue of the Stars means lane closures until those projects finish.