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Long before Third and Fairfax became one of Los Angeles' best known intersections, the area was part of a 256 acre dairy ranch owned by Arthur Fremont Gilmore. Around 1900, oil was discovered while drilling for water, and the dairy eventually gave way to an oil field. The Gilmore family later developed portions of the property for businesses, sports and entertainment.

The Farmers Market began during the Great Depression, when Roger Dahlhjelm and Fred Beck proposed using part of the Gilmore property as a place where local farmers could sell directly to the public. The market opened on July 14, 1934, with farmers selling produce from trucks and temporary stalls. What began as a simple idea quickly grew into a permanent marketplace of produce stands, restaurants and specialty shops. More than 90 years later, the Original Farmers Market remains at Third and Fairfax and is designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 543.

Historical Notes

In 1880, Arthur Fremont Gilmore and a partner acquired dairy farms in the Los Angeles area. When they divided their holdings ten years later, Gilmore took control of a 256 acre ranch, its dairy herd and farmhands at what is now Third Street and Fairfax Avenue.

Around 1900, while drilling wells to provide water for an expanding dairy herd, Gilmore discovered oil. Before long, oil derricks replaced the cows and the property became the center of the Gilmore family's growing oil business.

Historical Notes

The discovery of oil transformed the former dairy ranch. The Gilmore family developed an oil company that became a familiar name throughout the West, while portions of the original property were later used for sports, entertainment and commercial development.

By the early 1930s, much of the land around Third and Fairfax remained available for new uses, setting the stage for the experiment that would become Farmers Market.

Historical Notes

During the Great Depression, businessman Roger Dahlhjelm and advertising copywriter Fred Beck approached Earl Bell Gilmore with an idea for a market where local farmers could sell directly to the public. Gilmore agreed to provide space on the family property.

Farmers Market opened on July 14, 1934. Eighteen merchants, most of them farmers, initially sold produce and other goods from trucks and temporary stalls, paying 50 cents a day for space.

Historical Notes

The new marketplace quickly outgrew its temporary beginnings. Within months, farmers and merchants were moving into permanent stalls.

Nearby Gilmore Stadium also opened in 1934, beginning another chapter in the development of the former Gilmore ranch.

Historical Notes

The market opened during the depths of the Great Depression, giving local farmers an inexpensive place to sell directly to consumers and giving shoppers access to fresh food directly from the growers.

The idea caught on quickly. What began with trucks and temporary stands would soon develop into a permanent marketplace.

Historical Notes

By October 1934, only a few months after the market opened, farmers and merchants were moving into permanent stalls. Restaurants, grocers and service businesses joined the produce sellers, and the market's first Fall Festival was held that year.

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The aerial view shows how quickly Farmers Market became established and also illustrates its close relationship with the automobile. Large parking areas surrounded the market, making it convenient for shoppers arriving from across Los Angeles.

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Gilmore Field opened in 1939 and became home of the Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League. Together with Gilmore Stadium, Farmers Market and other nearby attractions, it helped make the former Gilmore ranch a popular destination for recreation, shopping and entertainment.

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As automobiles became the preferred means of transportation in Los Angeles, much of the open land surrounding Farmers Market became parking. The ample parking helped distinguish the market from older commercial districts developed around streetcar and pedestrian traffic.

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The windmill was one of Farmers Market's earliest visual landmarks. In 1948, the Clock Tower replaced it as the market's principal symbol.

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Gill's Old Fashioned Ice Cream was one of the early food stands that helped establish Farmers Market as more than a place to buy fresh produce. By the early 1940s, lunch counters, restaurants and specialty food stands had become an important part of the market's character.

The sailor seated at the counter also places the scene in wartime Los Angeles, when servicemen were a familiar sight throughout the city.

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Food soon became as important to Farmers Market as fresh produce. Restaurants, lunch counters and specialty food stands helped transform the market from a place primarily for grocery shopping into a destination where Angelenos could shop, eat and socialize.

Historical Notes

Although restaurants and specialty shops were becoming increasingly important, fresh produce remained at the heart of Farmers Market. Shoppers moved from stand to stand selecting fruits and vegetables from individual vendors, much as customers had done when the market opened eight years earlier.

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Scenes like this show the everyday side of Farmers Market during its early years. Unlike the aerial views and photographs of surrounding attractions, this image captures the market at street level, with shoppers examining produce and moving among the individual stands.

Historical Notes

The first Du-par's opened at Farmers Market in 1938, founded by James Dunn and Edward Parsons, who combined portions of their surnames to create the restaurant's name. Known especially for its pancakes and pies, Du-par's became one of the market's best known longtime tenants.

Historical Notes

The Clock Tower replaced the windmill as Farmers Market's principal landmark in 1948. Its familiar "An Idea" inscription honors Fred Beck, Roger Dahlhjelm and the 18 original tenants who helped launch the market.

The original Clock Tower now sits atop Starbucks at Farmers Market.

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By the late 1940s, Farmers Market had expanded well beyond the simple produce stands of 1934. Temporary shops occupying part of the parking lot reflect the continued growth of the market as new merchants and businesses were added.

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The billboard illustrates how much Farmers Market had changed in its first 15 years. What began primarily as a place for farmers to sell fresh produce had also become a popular dining destination.

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This photograph captures the surrounding Gilmore property near the end of an era. Gilmore Stadium was demolished in 1952 to make way for CBS Television City, while the Gilmore Drive-In Theatre, which opened in 1948, remained in operation for nearly three decades.

Historical Notes

Large gas holders were once a familiar part of the Los Angeles landscape. They stored gas and helped balance changes in supply and demand within the distribution system. Their size made them visible from considerable distances, as seen here beyond the Farmers Market area.

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More than two decades after Farmers Market opened, produce stands continued to be an important part of the marketplace. By this time they shared the market with an expanding assortment of restaurants, specialty food stands and other businesses.

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By the late 1950s, the Clock Tower had become a familiar Farmers Market landmark. The surrounding area was changing rapidly, but the tower continued to mark Farmers Market at Third and Fairfax.

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By 1960, Farmers Market had been a fixture at Third and Fairfax for more than 25 years. The Clock Tower, installed in 1948, had become one of the market's most recognizable features and a familiar landmark at the busy intersection.

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CBS Television City opened next to Farmers Market in 1952 on the former site of Gilmore Stadium. The television studios brought performers, production workers and visitors to the neighborhood, further adding to Farmers Market's role as a gathering place.

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More than 50 years after Farmers Market opened, the large parking areas surrounding it remained an important part of the property. This view also preserves the setting before construction of The Grove changed much of the land immediately east of the market.

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The Gilmore Heritage Auto Show began as part of Farmers Market's 60th anniversary celebration in 1994, honoring the Gilmore family's long association with Southern California's automobile culture.

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The Grove opened next to Farmers Market in 2002, bringing a major new shopping and entertainment development to the former Gilmore property. Despite the changes around it, Farmers Market retained its distinctive collection of food stands, shops and restaurants.

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Farmers Market was designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 543 on July 24, 1991. Although the surrounding neighborhood has changed considerably, the market continues to occupy the corner where it began in 1934.

Historical Notes

The early view shows Farmers Market in its first years, with simple buildings, dirt parking areas and relatively little development around it. More than 90 years later, the same corner remains anchored by the market that began there in 1934.

Historical Notes

In 1938, Farmers Market was surrounded by large areas of open land, with Gilmore Stadium to the north and the future site of Gilmore Field nearby. By 2022, CBS Television City and The Grove occupied much of the surrounding property, while Farmers Market remained in essentially the same location.

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