Newton J. Skinner -- 3507 Grove Place

A letter from the Galveston
Law Office of N. J. Skinner

Born in Northfield, Ohio, Newton J. Skinner first began his adult life in Iowa. Marrying Mattie Ballou Stafford (1869-1911) in 1889, they had three children, all born in Iowa.  Etta M. (b. 1890), Carl Newton (b. 1892), and Gladys M. (b. 1894) all moved with their parents to Galveston, Texas, where Newton ran a law practice until 1902.

He then spent two years in New York City, after which in October, 1905, he moved to Los Angeles, where he was admitted to practice in the state and federal courts. Helping to organize the new Bank of Southern California, he began work for them as Vice-President when they opened their doors in May, 1906. At a time when banks were opening left and right across town, its name was coincidentally very close to Southern California Savings Bank, the oldest savings bank in the Los Angeles area. In today's world where a company sues because someone puts "Mc" in front of something, there seemed to be no indication of concern in this past case (McSettlement here).

In May, 1907 a small article appeared on the front page of the Sunday L.A. Herald indicating plans for a new house. As the article mentioned,

"Paul C. Pape has prepared plans of a two-story and basement frame residence to be built on Grove place, near Bimini baths, for N. J. Skinner of the Bank of Southern California. It will contain ten rooms and will have furnace heat, gas and electrical conveniences, hardwood floors and trim, and up to date in its appointments."

With a roof deck and what seems to be either skylights or passive heating, it appeared to live up to the article...

3507 Grove Place
or 3527 White House Place today

The home was the first on the one-block long street. The earliest Sanborn map (1921) shows the house along with three apartment buildings towards the corner on the west (Bimini Place). Typically Sanborn would show lot divisions--this block showed no divisions, allowing one to infer that all the buildings were in the hands of one owner.

White House Place in 1921
(3507 highlighted)

1909 was a busy year for Newton. Having left the Bank of Southern California, he decided to help start up another bank, called the "All Night and Day" Bank. The first on the west coast and third in the U.S., the bank opened its doors to customers at 7:00 a.m. Monday mornings, and did not close them until Saturday evening at midnight. Opening on January 6th, the bank bragged of its ability to serve merchants late in the day so they could avoid leaving their stores, to serve theaters depositing late night receipts, and any others who wished to relieve themselves of the risk of robbery during other bank off hours.

Early next year Newton and a bank associate took a flyer on the Hotel Redondo, located at Redondo Beach. Bought from manager J. S. Woolacott, headlines exclaimed of an upcoming $25,000 investment to increase occupancy. Evidently the investment was not as lucrative as it first appeared, as in May, 1910 the hotel was sold outright to Miss Emma Summers, known locally as the "Oil Queen". The hotel struggled when Redondo Beach outlawed liquor sales, and its death knell was confirmed when the nation started prohibition in 1919. The hotel closed, was sold for salvage, and was demolished in 1925.

Also that Spring the bank had a run. A large portion of bank stock had been used to secure a $120,000 loan (maybe for a hotel?), and it ended up in the hands of someone who combined it with other stock--forming a new majority, who then declared a new set of directors for the bank. The ensuing fight resulted in the state superintendent of banks closing the bank's doors for a few days, which set off the run when the bank reopened. The bank survived, but fighting continued in court into November, 1910. The stock loan had not been repaid, thus the judge ruled in favor of the new directors, which effectively ended Newton's participation at the bank.

Shatto Chapel window
(click here for larger image)
(courtesy of Michael Locke)

Life on the home front could not have been going too well, either. In 1910, Mattie and the children are all at home, according to the census. Mattie may not have been well, because in 1911, she died. Services were probably held at the First Congregational Church, the oldest continuously-operating protestant church in Southern California. Located in 1911 at Hope & 8th Streets, the main sanctuary held a stained-glass window now used in the Shatto Chapel at its current location of West 6th and Commonwealth. We know this because part of the stained-glass window in the Shatto Chapel holds a memorial to Mattie (the pane devoted to her is at lower right in the window).

Newton returned to his roots as an attorney (and most likely an apartment landlord too). In 1915 he is noted as law partners with his son Carl, who had just obtained his law degree from USC, and living on Wilton Place. But the State of California does not show Carl was ever admitted to practice. By 1918 Carl has moved into an apartment at 3553 White House Place (which has changed street names from Grove Place). By 1920 Carl disappeared from L.A. directories.

The probability is strong that Newton developed the quadriplex apartments along White House Place, due to his long-time living on the street, along with his children taking up residence there. The aerial photo below shows the area in the mid 1920's. A second house has appeared behind the residence at 3507, along with an apartment building to the east of 3507.

Bimini Baths ca. 1925 with
3507 White House Place in view above left
(with roof deck still intact)

Newton and Jeannette on their
passport application 1922

By 1920 Newton has moved out of 3507 and is living in the corner apartment at 3557.  In 1922 he remarried and took a round-the-world cruise with his new bride Jeannette. According to the passport application, they were using Raymond Whitcomb Tours, a major provider of the day. Upon their return, they settled in at 3557, while 3507 (which was now known as 3527 because of the new apartment building to the east) was rented to various people, including lawyer Leonard Thomas (1926), who worked in the same building that Newton had worked in in 1910, and doctor Louis Wyckoff (1930).  Around 1925 the Skinners themselves changed apartments in the same 4-plex, now taking up at 3555, where they remained until Newton's passing.

During the late 1910's and 20's neither daughter Emma nor Gladys can be found in the directories, but in 1932 a change occurred. Jeannette is listed as a widow, still living in 3555, which will be the last mention for her in the apartments of White House Place; and in 1936 a new resident, Miss Orine Emerson, is living at 3555. And in the same building at 3553 we now find younger daughter Gladys, who has married and resides with Mr. Claude Puryear.

White House Place ca. 1929

In 1942 the elegant house begins a new career. Called the White House Sanitarium, it is listed in the 1951 Sanborn map as a "Rest Home". A check reveals that the Sanitarium remained in use through 1965. It disappears in 1967, with no phone listed at that property. Gladys passes away in 1980, and in the next phone book available, there are no listings for the apartment building or the sanitarium addresses.

In 1992 the L.A. Unified School District made purchases on the block, starting up the "White House Place Primary Center".  By 2008 they owned all of the north side of White House Place. Then in 2007 LAUSD contracted for a hazardous materials report for the area. It was entitled..."PHASE I
ENVIRONMENTAL SITE ASSESSMENT
CENTRAL REGION ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL #20, SITE 1 (CRES #20, SITE 1)
108 SOUTH BIMINI PLACE
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90004" .

Four hundred fifty pages long, the document listed much of the area's history, along with the contractor's efforts to determine if there were any hazardous substances on the property. Nothing significant was found, so the district went ahead and razed the structures and built a very nice parking lot, which just happened to be directly across the street from Virgil Middle School. No elementary school in sight just yet.

Thanks to Newton Skinner for his house photo--another element of Los Angeles now gone.

Today's aerial view of White House Place

More info:
A  visit to the All Night and Day Bank
Newton Skinner in 1910

Samuel I. Merrill -- 669 South Union Ave.

In 1900 the census stated that Jeremiah (Jere) B. Badgley (b. 1846) was a traveling salesman, living in San Diego. Not just any traveling salesman, as there was a servant in the house. By the next year he had transferred to Los Angeles, moving to Bonnie Brae Street with his wife and three children, working for M.A. Newmark, the largest wholesale grocery in California. Then in 1904 he moved into a new family house at 669 South Union Ave. Daughters Clara and Cecil held and attended card parties, participated in society balls, and generally enjoyed the society life of Los Angeles. Then in 1908 the family moved on to the new Westside, settling at 1245 St. Andrews Place.

Samuel in 1909

The next purchasers were Samuel (1856-1932) and Sarah (1857-1921) Merrill.  Samuel had come to California as far back as 1876, then to Los Angeles in 1881, where he started a hardware business, Merrill & Babcock. The next year he was a leading organizer of the Los Angeles YMCA, and was installed as its first president, serving for four years. During his time in Southern California he helped start Baptist College, the Union Rescue Mission, McKinley Industrial Home and the New Testament Church of Los Angeles, among other charitable pursuits. Businesses after his hardware store included Director, Western Gas Engine Co., Merrill Oil Co. and Merrill-Jensen Land Co. A member of the Chamber of Commerce in 1908-1909, he traveled to Japan, China, and the Phillippines with four others to report on trade there.

The Merrills were parents of two sons Wallace (b. 1893) and Charles Arthur (1890-1977), and a daughter Grace (b. 1889). In 1910 both sons lived at home, working for their father at a rolling mills factory.

669 South Union Ave. in 1909

In late 1914 the Merrills pulled up stakes and moved to Rio Bravo, a small settlement west of Bakersfield. Sons Charles Arthur and Wallace followed. All were listed as farmers in the 1920 census. Sarah passed away in 1921, and was returned to Glendale for interment.  In 1932 at age 75, Samuel died from an auto accident, and is buried beside Sarah at Forest Lawn.

Meanwhile at 669 S. Union, many tenants passed through the house.  Christian Science practioner Lillian Ruddick in 1915 was followed by Clyde J Cheney (1916), Albert J. Klunk (1917), and Arthur G. Reis (1921).

The area was going multi-family and in 1929 the new President Apartments were built, replacing our dutch colonial and the house to the west (at seen at left in the photo above).  In 1930, the census listed over 130 people in various apartments at this address.

The President at 669 S. Union ca. 1935
(courtesy of USC Digital Collections)

The apartment building still stands on the corner of Ingraham and Union, though Ingraham has been closed for many years, and is used mainly as a parking lot for the area. Today it appears from an aerial view of Google maps that there is no single-family house within two blocks of the building.  Two large, expensive-looking public schools reside to the east and west of the apartments.

Aerial View today

A big change for 100 years.

Edwin W. Sandison -- 6525 Franklin Avenue

Edwin Wallace Sandison (1844-1918) found his business love early on--developing real estate.  His short biography from Homes of Los Angeles indicated he was the founder of three Kansas cities--Everest, Horton, and Liberal--all of which he did before moving in the late 1890's to Los Angeles. Of course it was also before he took 15 trips to Alaska for the gold rush.  Married in 1875 to Sabina Wigle (1855-1938), their children as listed in censuses demonstrate well the family's travel across the U.S. First child Edna (b. 1878 NE), was followed by Edwin Jr. (b. 1880 NE), Wilbur (b. 1885 KS), Mamie (b. 1883 KS), Gordon (b. 1886 KS), and Addie V (b. 1888 CO).

Out West Magazine  Volume 3, in 1895 recorded their early family home in the "University Place" district of Los Angeles:

According to street directories of the day, it was located at  the "ne corner W 39th and Budlong", which would have placed it about three blocks west of Exposition Park and the university. At the time their youngest son Gordon was twelve. That may have been him in the yard.

By 1905 the Sandisons had moved to their new home "out" in Hollywood. In April of that year daughter Addie garners a mention in the L.A. Herald for taking a picnic to Ocean Park as part of the Jolly Six Club, which appears to be Addie and five of her friends.

The winter of 1905-1906 was a very wet one, with constant newspaper reports of rain.  (It's good to know that back then the rains also came in winter to Southern California.) It was so omnipresent that season that when tragedy struck the Sandisons in March, 1906 with the death of their son Gordon--the funeral notice, while mentioning the funeral was held at the Sandisons' Hollywood house, also reported in a large sub-headline that "Cars near Hollywood Tied up by Washouts and Sanded Tracks". The funeral was overseen by Rev. Bovard, who may have been related, as daughter Mamie had married a Bovard.

225 W. Franklin in 1909

 In 1910 living in the house were E.W., wife Sabina, daughter Edna (who never married and lived with Sabina until her death), son Wilbur (age 25), and daughter Addie (age 22). About this time E.W. invested in large tracts of land in Wilmington, near San Pedro.  Son Edwin Jr. and his wife Ruth ran the real estate office there, and lived in the area at 1149 Marshall for many years. Continuing the naming tradition, grandson Edwin III and great-grandson Edwin IV also lived in Wilmington.

In July, 1918 Edwin Sr. died, and Sabina and Edna moved out of the large house to the Wilmington area, probably to be nearer son Edwin Jr. They stayed a short period at the Hotel Schuyler in Long Beach, then moved to Banning Avenue in Wilmington, where Sabina passed away in the late 1930's.

The house at 225 West Franklin received an address change with Hollywood's merging into Los Angeles, becoming 6525 Franklin. The next family was to live there longer than the Sandisons had.

William F. Beesemyer Jr.(1887-1953) was a local, native-born son, one of five, graduating from Hollywood High in 1906, where he was also one of the commencement speakers. He was the son of Hollywood pioneers William (1854-1947) & Sophie (1858-1946) Beesemyer, whose early investment in Hollywood land made them quite wealthy. Their Hollywood ranch was bordered by Sunset & Santa Monica Blvds. on the north and south, and Western and Bronson Aves. on the east and west. Their house address was 1407 N. Wilton, right in the middle of the property. Part of the ranch included today's KTLA-TV lot, which was an early Warner Bros. studio location--it was sold to the Warners for $25,000 by William Sr. and Sophie around 1919.

William Jr., the third of five sons of William and Sophie, married Leah Marsh, also a Californian, and by 1920 they had moved into 6525 West Franklin with their new baby son, William III. Son Frank (1920-1990) joined the family that year, as William Jr. pursued a career in wholesale food brokering, rather than land or movies.

The Beesemyer neighborhood--looking east on Franklin Ave. at Whitley, 1928
The house is on the left side where the street crests the hill (blocked by the tree).
(courtesy of USC Digital Archives)

It seemed to be a quiet life for the family. As William Sr. continued in ranching and real estate, William Jr.'s older brother Arthur (1882-1923) became superintendent of streets for Hollywood. Another brother, Clarence (b. 1891) went into the oil business, ultimately becoming president of Gilmore Oil Co. Brother Gilbert (b. 1885) went into banking, with spectacular results--he was arrested for embezzling over $7 million. He was convicted in 1930 and sentenced to prison for 10 to 100 years.

Sometime around 1950, William and Leah left the house, as records indicate son Frank and his wife Phoebe (1921-2012) are living there in 1951. William passed away in 1953; Leah moved to an apartment on Scenic Drive.

By 1956 the Franklin Ave. house had become an apartment house--as it is today.

Aerial view of the lot--outlined in red

link checked 2/9/20

Additional info: 

The short bio for Edwin Sandison from the author's 1910 copy of the book 

A larger copy of the 1910 photo from the book

 

Edwin J. Marshall -- 304 South Westlake Avenue

In 1895 lumber dealer John M. Griffith (1829-1906) had a new home built out on West 3rd Avenue. He separated from his second wife three years later, moving out while Mrs. J.M. stayed, doing volunteer nursing meetings and renting out rooms. Next May she was successful in renting the house to a Col. and Mrs. E.L. Chandler, who remained for about five years. By 1900 she no longer appeared in public records.

By the time Edwin J. Marshall (1860-1937) arrived in Los Angeles in 1904, he had already established himself in the world of business, most notably in the Houston, Texas area. He joined his wife Sallie (1866-1947) and only child Marcus (1893-1930), who had traveled to sunny California three years prior to improve the health of their son.

In leaving Houston, he sold off his interest in The Texas Company (known later as Texaco), where he had been its first Treasurer and an early investor as part of the Hogg-Swayne syndicate. Hogg was a native-born ex-governor who was most well-known for the naming of his daughter (you have to look this one up if you're not from Texas). A bank failure in Beaumont in August, 1903, of which Marshall was a director may have influenced the timing of his move to L. A.

Edwin in 1910

Upon arrival Edwin joined the Southwestern National Bank and began speculation in land, which was his first investment love. He met J. S. Torrance (founder of the city of the same name), who promptly offered Edwin land in Santa Barbara County. This became Marshallia, run by son Marcus, whose family lived on the property. The ranch was requisitioned in 1941 to become Camp Cooke, then later renamed to Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Together Marshall and Torrance also headed a syndicate that purchased a 46,000 acre property known as the Chino Ranch. The area included today's Carbon Canyon as well as the city of Chino, which contains an elementary school named E. J. Marshall.

When the Southwestern National Bank merged in 1905 with the First National Bank, Edwin declined to work at the new facility, instead concentrating his efforts on ranching.

The family settled near Westlake Park at 3rd & Westlake, a few blocks from the Willitts Hole family (who Edwin knew from Chamber of Commerce meetings), purchasing the old Griffith residence.

304 S. Westlake in 1909

By 1909 Marshall had expanded his ranching operations into Mexico, owning the Palomas Ranch in Chihuahua, whose northern border went from El Paso to the Arizona state line. Over 2.5 million acres, the ranch was a major center for the raising of beef cattle. Added to that was another 1.25 million acres in Sinaloa, where Edwin had obtained a water rights concession from President Diaz.

When the census taker came by in 1910, he recorded that Edwin, Sallie, Marcus, three servants, and two "hired men" resided in the obviously spacious residence.

In 1915 the Marshall family moved to Grand Avenue in Pasadena, and by 1920 son Marcus, who was living there, had married, become a widower, and had a son Edwin J, II. The Marshalls began to scale back their society and business interests and took to some international traveling.

Edwin, Marcus, and Sallie mid '20s passport photos

Meanwhile 304 Westlake changed with the neighborhood.  In 1916 it became the La Grange School, creating "a home school for young children...conducted by Margaret C. La Grange." Although the property was suitable for living, a better one for schooling was found and by 1920 the house was rented by the La Granges, who in turn rented out rooms. In the house along with real estate husband Harry, were daughter Helen, and lodgers Ella McFarland, Freda Deacon, and  Harold Wagner. Helen, Ella and Freda were all listed as private school teachers--hmmm, which school could that have been?

A view from the upper floor of 304 Westlake looking southwest ca. 1910
(originally from lapl.org)

The residence continued as a rooming house--by 1928 eight lodgers were noted in the building.  The 1930 census indicates that 50+ people were at the 304 S. Westlake address!

The 1940 census does not list 304 Westlake, or its equivalent 1934 West 3rd Street. The lot was probably converted to the service station it became during the 1940's or 50's. The 1956 phone book listed the lot as "Sam's Serv". Within one block was a Richfield station (a major brand of gasoline in L.A. in the 50's) to compete.

Today it's not a gas station. Rather it's a strip center. And so ended 304 S. Westlake.

304 S. Westlake Avenue recently

Maybe some of the palm trees in the background are the same ones.

Additional Info:
Biography on E. J. Marshall

Ben White -- 1327 S. Burlington Ave.

To say Ben White (1870-1946) worked in real estate would be putting it mildly. From his beginnings in San Francisco, he moved to Los Angeles in 1892, and almost all of his public record is related to real estate brokerage. For example he ran thousands of daily ads in the Los Angeles Herald. Between 1900-1910 over 4,000 ads appeared. A particularly prolific day from 1905 is listed below. Of the 23 showing, 17 belonged to Ben.

The Bryson Block
after "modernization"

By 1900 Ben had set up shop in the Bryson Block on the third floor (note office 304 in the ads above). He was to stay in the building until the late '20s when he retired. His business efforts seemed to be selling or exchanging property, rather than investing himself, with rare exception.While for the most part he ran his own business, he partnered in 1901-1902 with William V. Lawlor, who had moved with his wife to L.A. from Butte, Montana in a vain attempt to improve her health. After Mrs. Lawlor died, William moved on to Seattle, then back to Butte, where he set up shop once again in real estate until his death in 1910.

In 1902/3 Ben married Anna Roes from San Francisco (b. 1871). It appeared that Ben was previously married with three children from a prior relationship. In 1907 the Whites moved into their new home on Burlington, just a block away from fashionable Alvarado Terrace. Daughter Dorothy (b.1907) and son Clarence (b.1909) show up with Anna and Ben in the 1910 census, but not sons Ben A. (b.1896) and Carroll, nor daughter Melba.

The Ben White Home in 1909

 With the mature trees out front, it appeared the house was built before the turn of the century--many grand houses from the late 1890's were built four or five blocks north around that same time.

So after going to the expense of getting listed in Greater Los Angeles, what did Ben do? Why of course he moved the family--not too far over to Washington Blvd. (then Street) where he stayed for a few years. In a different publication of 1913, an article on Ben mentioned his commercial success.

"..in the year 1911 in his office and on his properties in Los Angeles he had more than twenty-five employees. He has become very heavily interested in country property in all parts of California."

Ben in 1910

During that time he took a rare plunge into something other than real estate. On property in Temescal Canyon near Corona, he announced the discovery of oil, and had a well drilled. Unfortunately the well must not have produced much, as in 1921 it was reported that a try with a second well was about to begin. Nothing else was reported . Back to real estate.

By 1915 the Whites had moved once again, but this time to stay.  They bought a home at 1012 N. Heliotrope in east Hollywood, and this became their home until Anna's passing in 1943, followed by Ben's passing in 1949. Son Ben A. came "home" to be counted in the 1930 census.

After the Whites left 1327 S. Burlington, the house had a series of owners/renters until the mid 1930's. The 1920 census found Henry McGee (age 50, cabinet maker), wife Mary, son Fred, and daughters Bertha and Ada. By 1924 Miss Rachel Summerlin, saleslady for the Viavi Co. had moved in. Evidently Viavi was a system of proprietary remedies designed to increase the health of its consumers. A 400+ page book on archive.org can tell you more if you're so inclined.  By 1935, Ethel Tarter (age 51) became the owner and main resident, coming from Las Vegas. Married to Erasmus, a railroad engineer, the 1940 census doesn't show Erasmus at home, but Ethel's full-grown son Earl and his wife live there along with a young grandson. Earl worked as a mechanic, his wife was noted as a beautician.

The close to downtown neighborhood continued its inexorable slide. Nearby apartment buildings were erected, isolating the house, and by 1956 Ethel is renting rooms, living in "Apt. 2" at the address. She continues to do so through 1965, with no one appearing to be in "Apt. 1" if there was such a location. Ethel died in 1966, and by 1973 the house address disappeared from the address books, no doubt an indicator of what the site still is today--a parking lot.

1327 in the outline above (click for larger Google Map)

Thanks, Ben--there are probably not too many photos of the old house still around.

Arthur M. Letts -- Holmby House

Born in Holdenby, England, Arthur Letts (1862-1923) was one of ten children (four boys, six girls) born on the Letts estate, which dated back 400 years. At 16, Arthur was sent to apprentice at a dry goods store for three years, a trade which he no doubt learned very well. During his work he and younger brother Frank became enamored of opportunities they'd heard of in America. As the second son, he would not inherit the estate, so in July, 1883, two years after serving his apprenticeship, he and Frank embarked for Quebec, only notifying parents Richard and Caroline AFTER they'd boarded the steamer.

Arthur Letts, at the
time of his wedding

 His first work in Canada was on a farm near Toronto, but Arthur was not cut out for manual labor. He moved on to Toronto proper, working at the John Kay Co., a large mercantile store, and volunteered for the Queen's Own Rifles, fighting in the Battle of Cut Knife Creek. In 1886, he married Florence Philp (1868-1944), with law-student friend George Ira Cochran serving as Best Man. (George will end up playing an important role in Arthur's future.) Arthur advanced steadily at John Kay Co. in Toronto, but after six years in Canada, believed his best opportunity would be in the U.S.  He then set out for Seattle, arriving just a few days prior to the city-wide fire in June, 1889. Having little success, he then headed for L.A. in 1895 (based mostly on enthusiastic letters from Cochran, who had moved there when Arthur went to Seattle). With just $500 in his pocket--according to biographies, it wasn't much so far, but his fortunes were about to change.


As he arrived in L.A., The Broadway Dept. Store, J.A. Williams & Co., Proprietors, had just gone bankrupt. While not in the main business district, Arthur believed in time that the business center would move that direction. Creditors asked for a public auction for the store's stock, estimated value $15,000.  Arthur bid $8,167, winning the bid by $80. He needed $5,000 cash, with the balance due in 30 days. The Los Angeles National Bank loaned him $5,000, based on the loan's co-signer's good credit. That would be his old friend and Best Man, George Cochran. The rest of what was owed would be paid back from the sale of excess stock.

The next day a quarter-page ad went into the L.A. Herald, advertising "the greatest bargains ever seen". 

The first ad for Letts' Broadway Store

Arthur knew this was his big break. As his biographer stated "He began work regularly at 6 in the morning and continued frequently until after midnight. Literally, he did not quit until every task was done for the day." While this tenacity was to provide unbelievable success in business, it probably created personal issues with his family.

He made money from the start, and his fortune grew quickly.  By 1907, he had purchased 100 acres of land with a small knoll in the far-out Los Feliz area of Hollywood, and here he had built his mansion of success, calling it Holmby House in honor of his native homeland.

Our book's photo of Holmby House and Gardens ca. 1910

Living in the house in 1910 according to the census were Arthur and Florence, daughters Edna (1887-1966), Gladys (b.1889), son Arthur Jr. (1891-1959), along with three maids, a chauffeur, a cook, and a gardener.

Shopping in a "department store" back when Arthur started in Los Angeles was very different from today. Imagine all transactions rounded to the nearest nickel--one of Broadway's "firsts" was to provide exact change for each transaction. He was first in Los Angeles to use marked, fixed pricing--prior to that each item was a negotiation between you and the clerk. Another first in L.A. was the Broadway's offer of store credits for returns. Before that if you bought it, you owned it. At Christmas, as biographer Kilner wrote, "he was right there with an ad inviting the children to come to The Broadway and see a 'real live Santa Claus.' Santa was to be loaded with presents, and would give a bag of candy free to every little boy and girl who came to see him".

Changes were also introduced on the employee side. Beginning in the Spanish-American War, full salary was given to all employees who volunteered and were called up for service, and Arthur agreed to provide pensions to any  employee's family who lost his life during the war, to the full amount of the salary the employee was receiving when he enlisted. At a time when children had to work to support their family, he worked with the Board of Education to use one of their teachers to open a school in the store for child workers. Each morning employees under eighteen were allowed to attend the 1 1/2 hour class, which included arithmetic, grammar, composition, history and other topics. He provided half-day holidays each week during July and August, and shortened daily working hours for employees, closing at 5:30 p.m., a full hour earlier than usual.

Postcard of the Residence and Gardens, ca. 1910

Arthur had many interests outside work. Besides his love for horticulture (creating the gardens you see above), he also bred Collies on the property, bringing over from England a championship winner Ravenswood to start a line of Collies in California. The kennel grew to become too large for the estate, and so he set to find good homes for the dogs, and turned more attention to his flowers.

In 1909, the estate was a stop on the Points of Interest for Hollywood tour, which also included Paul De Longpre's residence about a mile away. The L.A. Herald's write-up in their Sunday magazine:

Arthur Letts' Mansion and Grounds
Immense country place. Large sunken gardens. A full acre of every known variety of cacti. Flowers in profusion. The largest coca plumosa drive in Southern California. Grounds open to visitors Thursdays.

In 1905 Arthur accepted the office of Vice-President of the L.A. Y.M.C.A. The directorate had been recently reorganized, with Frederick Rindge taking on the President position. But Rindge died before most action could be taken, and Arthur as president, headed a subscription drive for a new Y.M.C.A. building downtown, and by 1908 the new building was completed. This service was augmented by his volunteering for the Boy Scouts of America, serving as a National Vice-President in 1917. He donated ten acres for use as a camp site in Nichols Canyon.  It was used until the 1950's, when it was sold by the Boy Scouts for development, with the exception of a small 1/4 acre strip, which contains a memorial to J.B. Lankershim, who also donated camp land.

Camp Arthur Letts in the 1920's
(today's address for the tents would be 7551 Kimdale Lane)

John G. Bullock was new in Los Angeles in 1896, searching for a job. Arthur hired him as part of the bankruptcy sale on the first day of The Broadway's existence. By 1906, Bullock had progressed to buyer for Men's Furnishings, but assisted throughout the store. That same year, the Broadway lease was about to expire, and in a protective move, Arthur took on a second lease in a partially-completed new building at 7th and Broadway. Bullock was chosen to organize a company and save the location in the event it would be needed for The Broadway, which was rapidly outgrowing its current location. "Bullock's" was opened in March, 1907, with a large lighted sign on the roof, attracting curious crowds from around the city. Within a month, it was noticed that the better merchandise was moving well, but not so the usual goods. Buyers were ordered to focus future purchases with this new upscale clientele in mind. Bullock's was such a success, Arthur decided to keep both stores, empowering Bullock to organize the business. He took P. G. Winnett (Vice-President) and one other executive from The Broadway with him to Bullock's.  Everyone else in the organization had not been associated with The Broadway. Upon Letts' passing the business of Bullock's, which had been started with $250,000 in capital, was valued at $7,000,000.

Map of the Letts Property
(courtesy of the author)

Arthur knew real estate was great for investment in fast-growing Los Angeles. And with his significant access to capital, it was just a matter of time before he made one of his most significant purchases. In 1919 heirs to the Wolfskill Ranch (Rancho San Jose de Buenos Aires) were ready to sell, but they wanted cash. The former ranch consisted of over 3,200 acres, with an approximate border of Pico Blvd. on the south, L.A. Country Club on the east, Sunset Blvd. on the north, and I-405 on the west.  Purchased for $2 Million, Arthur turned over development to his son-in-law Harold Janss' company, Janss Investment Co. The area south of Wilshire contained land reserved for movie studios. The townsite of Westwood was laid out, which by 1927 contained 4,000 people.  In 1923 Arthur discussed with UCLA Regent Edward Dickson the idea of a new campus in Westwood. Janss Investment followed up after Arthur's death by offering land to the state and city at a price significantly under market value. And so construction started on the new campus--the first building being the Dickson Court Bridge connecting the main quad to the admin building. (The small valley it crossed has long since been filled.) Another part of the original Westwood Campus? Janss Steps (see below left).

Looking down Janss Steps, 1977

Janss Investment continued with the development of the rancho--creating estate lots from 3/4 acre and up, and planning an ultra high-end neighborhood, named Holmby Hills.  Many of the Janss and Letts families would end up owning houses there (six, in fact).

1923 was not the best year for Arthur. According to Unreal Estate, a recent book that  focused on the owners of Holmby Hills and Beverly Hills residences through the years, Arthur went to Florence and asked for a divorce, citing desertion for the prior year. But soon after, Arthur suffered a nervous breakdown, and within a month was dead of double pneumonia.

But did he really ask for a divorce? We don't really know--but what is known is that upon Arthur's death Florence immediately left the house, going to San Francisco where a Charles Quinn lived. From there she applied for a passport stating intentions to travel to Europe. Her return in June, 1924 through the port of New York was as Florence Quinn, wife of Charles. Together with Charles, she was to move to Holmby Hills in the early 1930's just down the street from two of her children, remaining at 141 South Carolwood until her death in 1944.

Holmby House in Happier Times
(courtesy of USC Digital Collections)

At the Funeral Service

The Family Mausoleum Today

Thousands attended the funeral for Arthur.  The eulogy was given by the Rt. Rev. Horsfall Johnson, local bishop of the Episcopal church. Burial was in the family crypt at today's Hollywood Forever Cemetery.


With Arthur's passing The Broadway was sold to a group of investors led by son-in-law Malcolm McNaghten (married to daughter Edna), who had been a Vice President of Finance at The Broadway. John G. Bullock led the buyout for his namesake department store. Son Arthur Jr. who had become President of The Broadway upon his father's death, focused his efforts on the real estate side of the family business after the department stores were sold. And besides the breakup of business, family members Arthur Jr. had their breakups too, with Arthur Jr. divorced in 1930, while daughter Gladys divorced in 1932.


Holmby House and the gardens itself were first finished about 1907. On the property in 1923 were Arthur and Florence in the main house, and daughter Gladys and husband Harold Janss lived in a grand house on a portion of the northeast corner of the land. But what was to happen to the main house and gardens with Arthur's death? It had been Arthur's stated wish to keep the gardens, to the extent he had provided money in his will for maintenance. Neither Florence nor Edna nor Gladys nor Arthur Jr. would try to live up to Arthur's wish. Harold the developer led the creation of "Franklin Avenue Square", razing the house completely. Some of the exotic plants were moved to Arthur Jr.'s new house in Holmby Hills, and Henry Huntington procured many of the exotic cacti for use in his cactus garden in San Marino. In less than 30 short years, the house had been built, then torn down. Nothing remains today.

An Aerial composite of today and yesterday
(courtesy of Bradford Caslon)

Additional Info:
Photos of the Gardens and House Interior

Gladys's 1933 "toy" after her divorce

It was a family business

Updated Feb 2020

Arthur M. Goodhue--534 Chestnut Ave. Long Beach

Arthur Goodhue (b. 1871) was a California boy born in Sacramento, last of five children.  His father Oliver was a lumber dealer there, which would figure prominently for Arthur. By 1893 he had moved to Long Beach, and by 1899 was the owner of the San Pedro Lumber Company in that city, which he ran until disappearing from the Long Beach directories in 1925.

He married the former Lilian Everson (b. 1876) of Oakland in 1896, and in 1899 joined with other hunters to form the Greenwing Gun Club outside the then city limits of Long Beach. Around the same time he also helped in the creation of the first municipal golf links in the state, and later went on to be a member of the Virginia Country Club. In that same year of 1899, Lilian as a member of the Ebell Club of Long Beach, wrote an extended article for their monthly magazine on Sevres porcelain.

In 1904 they moved into their new home at 534 Chestnut Avenue, and had this photograph taken:

The Goodhue Residence in 1908

In 1905 Goodhue and partners founded the State Bank of Long Beach, which may have positioned him for the next really big deal in Long Beach, a new hotel.  In October of 1905, the Long Beach Hotel Co. was created. Directors of the company included Goodhue, two members of the Bixby family, and J. Ross Clark. Construction began the following January.

By summer a name had been determined for the new building--Hotel Bixby, and work continued on the $750,000 project until November 9th. That day a wooden form for one of the building's concrete columns was removed too early, which allowed the column to fail, bringing down masses of concrete to the street and basement, where 50 workers were toiling. Final death toll was eleven--the contractor was eventually held liable, and owners pledged to immediately return to building the hotel. But history tells us there never was a Hotel Bixby. Like most tragedies of the sort, names are changed so people will not link disasters to place names. The new name?  Hotel Virginia.

The hotel opened in April, 1908 and by October the Goodhues had sold

Arthur in 1910

their home and moved in to the Virginia, where they stayed through 1911, after which they moved to a house at 2204 E. 1st Street. The State Bank disappeared, other investments disappeared, but the San Pedro Lumber Co. remained under the management of A. M. Goodhue until the early 1920's. After that, no record is easily found for the pair.  They had no children. It appears that Lillian moved north to Berkeley, passing away near there in 1952.  Perhaps Arthur died in the mid-1920's. Interestingly they had the above house published as theirs, but had sold it before the book was finished.

The Hotel Virginia also disappeared from maps, as it suffered damage in the 1933 Long Beach earthquake and was subsequently demolished.

The Goodhues sold their Chestnut Avenue home to Dr. William H. Austin, an early well-known physician in Long Beach. Moving in with him was his wife Mary and son William Horace, a local architect.  Dr. Austin passed away in 1910 and Horace continued to live on in the house, marrying Marjorie, and having a son (named William!). Horace subsequently became very well-known for his Long Beach edifice designs, which included Pacific Tower, the Santa Ana Masonic Lodge, and the Press-Telegram building in downtown Long Beach.

Horace passed away in 1942 and his family stayed at the Chestnut Ave. house, which still is there.  Today the neighborhood is loaded with apartment buildings, but check out the front walk stairs from these recent photos. Maybe a piece of the past?

534 Chestnut Ave, April 2016
(courtesy of the author)

534 Chestnut Ave, Front Steps, April 2016
(courtesy of the author)

An interesting tale...

Additional Info:
The L.A. Herald Front Page 10 Nov 1906

Willitts J. Hole -- 1907 West 6th Street

Many times the short biographies written about early successful businessmen sound almost too good to be true. Take Willitts J. Hole (1858-1936) for example--here's an extract from his 1921 biography:

"While his early experience was largely along the lines of manufacturing and contracting, he has shown what amounts to a genius in the handling and developing of immense properties, especially ranches, in California, and few men could claim a greater share of credit for the immense fruit and agricultural production than Mr. Hole."

Pretty heady stuff, no doubt--but maybe he really did live up to the hype.

Willitts grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, then attended and graduated from Chattanooga University, moving to Indiana to work in a chair factory. Taking notes, he three years later began a chair factory, planing mill, and lumber yard in another Indiana city, and later expanded into the general construction business (sounds like a developer!).

In 1893 he came to Southern California due to his wife Mary's (1865-1938) health. Their only child Agnes (1890-1966) completed the family. Upon arriving in California, Willitts went to Whittier and began buying land in the La Habra Valley, paying $25 to $35 per acre. Below is a photo of Agnes outside their La Habra home ca. 1897:

courtesy of cdlib.org

Not exactly downtown L.A, huh? And just how much land did Willitts buy? Enough to be known as the "father of La Habra Valley"--which according to the same biography stated he "eventually became owner of all the good land in that section, including Rancho La Habra of 7,500 acres" and two other ranchos totaling another 4,500 acres. That means he paid at least $300,000 for the land--and by 1921 it was selling at up to $4,000 per acre. He also ended up owning 17,000 acres in Riverside, known as Rancho La Sierra, where he would spend a lot of his free time. And he owned a one-fifth interest in the Belridge Oil Company, formed in 1911, which had eighty operational wells in Kern County by 1918.

You couldn't really expect the family to stay out in the country (see above image)--so they moved to fashionable West Sixth Street where by January, 1906 Mrs. Hole was entertaining Los Angeles society in their new, modern, colonial-style house (shown below):

1907 West Sixth St. in 1909

Note the wood structures in the median protecting the young palm trees.

Miss Agnes Hole

In 1907 the San Francisco Call takes note of the Holes traveling "by auto" with another family to Del Monte. That other family?  The Frederick Rindges, consisting of  widow Rhoda May, daughter Rhoda, and sons Samuel and Frederick, Jr. Another auto journey in 1908 to Del Monte also noted the families traveling together.

Something clicked somewhere because by April, 1910 the society pages of the L.A. Herald announced the engagement of daughter Agnes to Samuel Rindge. The article included a photo of Agnes, shown at right.

The Holes continue to live at 1907 W. Sixth throughout the 1910's, sharing their time with another bungalow house they had built on their La Sierra property outside Riverside. 

Passport Photo 1920

In the 1920's the Holes were traveling, and Willitts applied for a new passport, to replace his missing one from earlier. He noted his address as Arlington (the bungalow house) and the new passport came with photos of Willitts and Mary. One article notes that Willitts took up sailing and deep-sea fishing, that rejuvenated his health in the 1920's.

By 1923 the Holes had left the Sixth Avenue property, and it was soon demolished to put up the new Hotel Californian. Consisting of 201 rooms, the hotel supported the area first as a hotel, then over time it was offered as apartments as the neighborhood slowly became seedy.

By 1930 Willitts and Mary had purchased a large home a few blocks away from Agnes and Samuel near the Wilshire Country Club, but they continued to also reside in Arlington, where in 1936 Willitts died from a heart attack.  Mary was to pass away two years later--both were buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Riverside.

After Mary's death, Agnes gave her parents' art collection of paintings to UCLA, where it was recognized in the '60s and '70s, but seems to be non-existent on today's UCLA web site. A reference to the collection was found in the 1976 UCLA catalog.

And what happened to the Hotel Californian?

Hotel Californian in Happier Times
(from lapl.org)

By 1994 the City of Los Angeles forced the owners to close the hotel, and demolition came to the site once again.Today all that's left is a neon sign near Griffith Park .

Today (2012) at 1907 W. Sixth St. (courtesy of maps.google.com)

 The Hole Mansion is but a memory.

7/1/2017
An update due to an alert reader--The Paseo at Californian, a 58-unit affordable housing complex, held its ribbon-cutting ceremony in March, 2017, with the Hotel Californian neon sign now restored and present on the rooftop.

The same corner today (with the neon sign back in place)
(a tip of the hat to Google Maps street view with its updated image)

More:
Mrs. Mary Hole, 1909 
The Back Yard in 1913
Another Article about the Hotel Californian Sign