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H. J. Whitley

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Hobart Johnstone Whitley
Born(1847-10-07)October 7, 1847
Toronto, Canada
DiedJune 3, 1931(1931-06-03) (aged 83)
EducationToronto Business College
Known forHollywood
SpouseMargaret Virginia Whitley
Parent(s)Joseph Whitley
Eleanor Johnstone

Hobart Johnstone Whitley (October 7, 1847 – June 3, 1931), also known as H.J. Whitley and called the "Father of Hollywood", was a real estate developer who helped create the Hollywood subdivision in Southern California.

Early years

Hobart Johnstone (H.J.) Whitley was born in Toronto, Canada, the seventh and youngest son of Joseph Whitley and Eleanor Johnstone. He attended Toronto Business College. Whitley became naturalized citizen of the United States in the 1870s. Whitley moved to Chicago and owned a hardware store and candy store. He became interested in land development and was elected to the board of directors of the Chicago Rock Island Railroad. Whitley married his second wife, Margaret Virginia Whitley (Gigi) in the spring of 1886.

Land developer

Whitley became one of the nation's most successful land developers. During the westward construction of frontier railroads from the late 1870s to the early 1890s he founded scores of towns in the Oklahoma Territory, Dakotas, Texas and California. Whitley was a good friend of Theodore Roosevelt while in the Dakota Territory. Whitley was at the first Oklahoma Land Run of 1889, April 22 where he claimed property. He built the first brick block building in the territory and was asked by the local people to be the first Governor of Oklahoma. Whitley traveled to Washington D.C. where he persuaded the U.S. Congress to allow the City of Guthrie, Oklahoma to be the new capitol of the state of Oklahoma. It is estimated that Whitley founded over 140 towns in his lifetime. Including one of the most famous towns (second only to Hollywood) Chickasha which is located in Oklahoma. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7][8] [9] [10][11][12] [13][14][15]

Banker

Besides his land developments he was also the President of the National Loan & Trust Company, Guthrie, Oklahoma, Vice President of Home Savings Bank, President of First National Bank of Van Nuys, State Bank of Owensmouth and Bank of Lankershim; General Manager of the Los Angeles Suburban Homes Company, principle in the Bank of Hollywood, The Whitley Land Company and owner of HJ Whitley Company (Jewelers).

Civic donations

Whitley donated large parcels of land and money for civic use. The donations were used to finance public schools, libraries, parks, landscaping, streets, transportation, lighting and churches. [1] [16][3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Hollywood

Main article: Hollywood

In the mid 1880s Whitley arrived in Southern California. He was well known as a land developer and many tried to follow on his coattails. As president and major shareholder of the Los Angeles Pacific Boulevard and Development Company he orchestrated the building of the Hollywood Hotel, the opening of the Ocean View Tract and construction of a Bank which were located on the corners of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland. According to one of many self-promoting stories, the name Hollywood was coined by H. J. Whitley,[7] one of many who claimed the name the Father of Hollywood. He and his wife, Gigi, supposedly came up with the name while on their honeymoon in 1886, according to Gigi's memoir. In any case, the name "Hollywood" was used by H. H. Wilcox when he laid out his plats in 1887. According to yet another story, Wilcox had learned of the name from his wife Daeida, who had heard it as the name of an estate in Illinois, and adopted it as the name of his development.

Hollywood Hotel

Hobart Whitley built a hotel and a bank as the foundation most every town he developed. The most prominent hotel that he is supposed to have built was the Hollywood Hotel on the corner of Hollywood and Highland Boulevards, although his name is not mentioned in the newspaper accounts of the building as one of the principals.

Whitley Heights

HJ Whitley had a quest to make a very fine residential development on the hill of his share of the Hollywood property. He had to bring new ideas to create a development on the side of the hill in the fast changing times. This was at the end of the Victorian culture. Homes were built with the living up stairs for the views of the ocean and valley. He employed architects to go and study the hill developments of Spain and Italy. Whitley sought to create a masterpiece of architecture to be preserved for all times. In 1982 the U.S. Government named Whitley Heights a National Historic District. [17][18][19]

San Fernando Valley

From the moment Whitley saw the San Fernando Valley, he began discussing it with his friends in Los Angeles business community. The role of Whitley, here, is tempered by other factors. It took the beginning of the City of Los Angeles' Owens River Aqueduct in l905, and proposed terminus in the San Fernando Valley to inspire Whitley and other powerful Los Angeles citizens, including the Otis-Chandler family, that owned the Los Angeles Times to form a syndicate to buy the the south half of the San Fernando Valley in l909.

Whitley's syndicate purchased from wheat magnate, Isaac Newton Van Nuys the 47,500-acre (192 km2) ranch comprising nearly the entire south half or the San Fernando Valley. The price was $2,500,000 - just under $53 an acre. From this land he built the towns of Van Nuys, Reseda (formerly Marian) and Canoga Park (formerly Owensmouth). In one of the most bold "boomer" sales techniques, Owensmouth (now Canoga Park) simply borrows an English tradition and suggests that the Owens River, some 200 miles away, had simply been redirected to the San Fernando Valley.[20]

A perceptive planner, Whitley brought to this San Fernando Valley-wide project a 20-mile long Pacific Electric railway, and a parallel "$500,000 boulevard", with pavement so unusual for 1911 that it was a "no speed limit" highway.

Whitley became president of three San Fernando Valley banks--two in the towns he started, Van Nuys and Owensmouth.

Corcoran

HJ Whitley took the lead in building the city of Corcoran, California. He purchased 32,000 acres (130 km2) to start the development and moved a member of his real estate firm, J. W. Guiberson, to the area. HJ named all the city streets Avenues. The main street of the community is named in his honor. During a visit to the area in 1905 he would have see a blacksmith shop, small store, scattered homes and a lush, untapped vista with herds of grazing wild hogs, horses and steers.

Whitley Gardens

Whitley’s last development was never finished. He bought thousands of acres and started the town of Whitley Gardens. It is about ten miles (16 km) east of Paso Robles, California.

Travel

HJ and Gigi Whitley traveled seventeen times to Europe, the Middle East and Asia for business and pleasure. One time he brought back the coveted Egyptian cotton seed to be planted in Corcoran, California. He bought precious stones and jewelry to be sold in his Los Angeles City jewelry store, HJ Whitley Company.

Death

Whitley died on June 3, 1931 at the Whitley Park Country Club near Hollywood.[21][22] He was buried in the Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery, today named Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Hollywood Forever Memorial Park. On his grave site it is inscribed "The Father of Hollywood".

References

  1. ^ a b Whitley Papers (1889-1946).
  2. ^ The Father of Hollywood by Gaelyn Whitley Keith(2010) http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-61663-475-9.
  3. ^ a b Los Angeles Herald (August 31, 1951)
  4. ^ a b California Historian Volume 54, Number 4 published by Conference of California Historical Societies (2008)http://www.californiahistorian.com/magazine.html Cite error: The named reference "Thefatherofhollywood" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Los Angeles Times Magazine (January 4, 1987)
  6. ^ a b California and Californians by Rockwell Dennis Hunt and Nellie Van de Grift Sanchez (1930)
  7. ^ a b Jonathan Magazine http://www.thefatherofhollywood.com/Jonathans.pdf (March 2009)
  8. ^ Cahuenga Valley Sentinel (May 7, 1904).
  9. ^ Hollywood Citizen (Spring Addition March 4, 1914).
  10. ^ LYCOS RETRIEVER http://www.lycos.com/info/al-christie.html
  11. ^ Office of Historic Resources http://www.preservation.lacity.org/hpoz/la/whitley-heights
  12. ^ Architectural Digest (April 1996)
  13. ^ Discover Hollywood Magazine (Spring 2010) http://www.discoverhollywood.com/Publications/Discover-Hollywood/2010/Issue-Spring-2010/Whitley-Heights.aspx
  14. ^ Owensmouth Baby by Catherine Mulholland (1987)http://www.thefatherofhollywood.com/TheOwensmouthBabybyCatherineMulholland.pdf
  15. ^ William Mulholland and the Rise of Los Angeles by Catherine Mulholland (2000)http://www.amazon.com/William-Mulholland-Rise-Los-Angeles/dp/0520234669/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277093955&sr=1-1
  16. ^ Keith (2006)
  17. ^ Discover Hollywood Magazine (Spring 2010) http://www.whitleyheights.org/about9.html
  18. ^ Los Angeles Times (January 13, 2009) http://www.whitleyheights.org/about8.html
  19. ^ Architectural Digest http://www.whitleyheights.org/about1.html
  20. ^ The Van Nuys News (July 6, 1923) http://www.thefatherofhollywood.com/Van%20Nuys%20News.JPG.
  21. ^ "Death Calls H.J. Whitley. Real Estate Man Known as "Father of Hollywood". Pioneer in Many Southland Developments". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-07-17. H. J. Whitley, pioneer California real estate man and known as the "Father of Hollywood." died yesterday at the age of 83 years and after an illness of more than a year. Mr. Whitley died during his sleep while staying as a guest of his son Ross Whitley at the Whitley Park {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  22. ^ "Whitley Dead at 83". New York Times. June 5, 1931. H. J. Whitley, California real estate man known as the "Father of Hollywood ... {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

Further reading

  • Gaelyn Whitley Keith, The Father of Hollywood: The True Story, ISBN 1419641948
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