The Hollenbecks

The Hollenbecks. . , Time in the Tropics , John Edward Hollenbeck and his wife, Elizabeth Hatsfeld, were among the most notable and influential of the early residents of Boyle Heights. Like many others, Hollenbeck (an Ohio native) was drawn to California to find his fortune during the Gold Rush. On his way west, the ship on which he was traveling stranded him in Panama, where he contracted a fever that caused him to cancel his plans for California. After recovering, Hollenbeck ventured to Greytown, Nicaragua, to work as an engineer. The ever-industrious "Ed" remained there to pursue a number of business ventures, which included opening a general store, providing entertainment to travelers, starting a woodcutting business, and purchasing a hotel. It was at this hotel that he met Elizabeth Hatfeld, a young widow who was working there as a manager, and in January 1854, they were married. Over the next 20 years, the Hollenbecks amassed a small fortune as the owners of steam-ships that carried passengers, goods, cargo, and mail from their base in Nicaragua to ports around the world. , Settling in Boyle Heights , It was ill-health from years in the tropics that led the Hollenbecks to visit Los Angeles in the mid-1870s. Being drawn to the developing city, they immediately invested in 160 acres in the newly established community of Boyle Heights and built a large home, Villa de Paredón Blanco, in the southern part of the neighborhood on Boyle Avenue between Fourth Street and Sixth Street. Utilizing his extensive business experience, Edward became a trusted advisor and partner to Boyle Heights founder William H. Workman. Together they developed tracts in Boyle Heights that they subdivided, marketed, and sold. , Beyond his work in Boyle Heights, Edward quickly became a business and civic leader in Los Angeles, serving as a bank founder and president, investing in streetcars, building the Hollenbeck Hotel, and holding a seat on the city council. He also invested heavily in local real estate, accumulating nearly 7,000 acres city and countywide. After a short nine years of activity in Los Angeles, Edward died from a stroke in 1885 at the age of 56. , Elizabeth Carries On , After her husband's untimely death, Elizabeth applied her business acumen, acquired from her years in Central America, to managing Edward's affairs, including continuing the development of property that the couple owned, adding two floors to the Hollenbeck Hotel, and other work. , She partnered with William H. Workman to donate a portion of her property to the City of Los Angeles for the creation of a park in memory of her late husband. Hollenbeck Park was dedicated in 1893. With its meandering paths, quaint footbridge, and picturesque lake, it quickly became a centerpiece of the Boyle Heights community and was featured on a multitude of picture postcards. The park was also used as a location for film shoots in the earliest days of the industry. Despite the impact of the Golden State Freeway construction along its western edge in the 1960s, Hollenbeck Park remains a Boyle Heights community treasure. , Another signature project of Elizabeth's was the refashioning of her residence into the Hollenbeck Home for the Aged , a home designed for the elderly who lacked resources to care for themselves. Initially created with an endowment to provide housing and other needs for struggling seniors, the home opened in 1896 with 46 residents representing a variety of nationalities and faiths. , Over the years, the home expanded and, after investments soured during the Great Depression, the institution took on paying residents. In the mid-1980s, the villa was demolished, and a new structure was built on the site (renamed Hollenbeck Palms) to meet modern codes and the facility's needs. Elizabeth Hollenbeck's charitable work continued for 33 years after her husband's death until she died on September 6, 1918. Both are buried in Evergreen Cemetery. The legacy of the Hollenbecks in Los Angeles lives on in the many places that bear their name, including the Hollenbeck Community Police Station, Hollenbeck Middle School, Hollenbeck Avenue in Covina, and Hollenbeck Street in Huntington Park.