Whitley Heights 101

Before there was Whitley Heights

Hobart J. Whitley (1847-1931) was known to many as “the father of Hollywood”. When he moved to California in 1893, he first opened a jewelry store called H.J. Whitley Jewelry in Los Angeles. Whitley grew the business and in 1905, relocated to a larger store on 345 South Broadway.

As he grew the jewelry business, he was also involved in real estate and banking. He started The First National Bank of Hollywood, The Trustee Company of Los Angeles, Hollywood Savings Bank, and Security Land and Loan Company. He eventually started the Los Angeles Pacific Boulevard and Development Company at 111 N. Spring Street (prior jewelry business location) and bought the Hollywood Ocean View Tract, where Whitley Heights is located today.

In 1900, Whitley constructed the famous Hotel Hollywood. In 1905, the hotel was expanded to include the entire block. The famous former hotel was located at 6811 Hollywood Blvd. Throughout the years, the hotel became worn down and was eventually torn down in 1956 for a 12-story office building.

In 1900, Whitley bought a home on the corner of Prospect and Wilcox (6594 Hollywood Blvd.), from E.C. Hurd, a wealthy Colorado miner who bought acreage on the corner of Wilcox and Prospect and put in a gigantic lemon orchard, spending $50,000 for water! Hurd also purchased the Cahuenga Valley Railroad and extended the tracks to the valley. Originally, James McLaughlin built the Queen Ann style home in 1890, but sold it to Hurd shortly after it was constructed. After his death, Whitley bought the home. Whitley’s plans was to build an estate on the top of Whitley Heights.

In April of 1903, Whitley, as president of Los Angeles Pacific Boulevard and Development Company, was ready to show Hollywood his development progress. He sent out several hundred invites to “Boulevard Day” to celebrate the opening of Whitley Heights. He arranged for the attendees to go up to the newly constructed “Pleasure Pavilion” previously located at what is now 6675 Whitley Terrace. He arranged rides on the newly developed streets on Sunset Boulevard that now extended from Douglas Avenue. The photograph below shows an orchestra playing at the 1903 party.

After the celebration, lots were advertised on Grand View Tract, a subdivision of a portion of Ocean View Tract and were sold as “villa sites only”. In June of 1907, Whitley Heights encountered a setback as a fire swept through the 40 acres, destroying the many rare trees and shrubs that Whitley arranged to be planted throughout. The fire was started by a homeowner at the bottom of the hill. Luckily, no homes on the hill had been erected as the roads were still being constructed. Whitley pledged to recreate the Mediterranean garden oasis again! Below is H.J. Whitley, his wife Virginia, son Ross, and daughter, Grace. (Yes, Grace Ave. is named after his daughter).

The photograph below shows Prospect Blvd. (now Hollywood Blvd.) in 1904. Whitley Heights would eventually be developed to the right of the houses on a hill that is not shown. However, putting in the roads properly proved to be a difficult task and still no homes were constructed by the end of 1916. Eventually, after much thought and planning, the houses started to be built…..to be continued.