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Building History

Of Dutch ancestry but born in rural Summit County, OH, John Edward Hollenbeck (1829-1885), left his homestate first to move with his family deeper into the country's Old Northwest, to IL in 1845, returned to Tallmadge, OH, by 1850, where he began work as a machinist. At this time, news of the Gold Rush in CA had swept the US, and Hollenbeck, known as "Ed," came under its spell. He traveled down the Mississippi to New Orleans, where he boarded a ship bound for Panama. He fell ill either en route or in the country, and his connecting voyage from Panama to San Francisco was cancelled, stranding him in Central America. He persevered and migrated to Greytown, Nicaragua, where he eventually operated a mercantile store. He prospered in Nicaragua, becoming the owner of a steamship fleet. and he married a German-born woman, Elizabeth Hatsfeldt Hollenbeck (1827-1918), who became his business partner, running a Nicaraguan hotel by 1853. Political turmoil in the country led him to migrate back to the US in 1860, but the Civil War's onset forced his wife and him to return to Nicaragua.

By 1874, the Hollenbecks started to purchase real estate in Los Angeles, and two years later they decided to return. According to the Online Archive of California.org: "By that time [1876], they had acquired 27 properties comprised on 6,738 acres, including land in the business district, and large parcels just outside the business district, a gamble that was a sure-fire win. In 1884, the pair created the Hollenbeck Block, a major and central location in the main business district of Los Angeles." (See Online Archive of California.org, "Hollenbeck Hotel Registers," accessed 04/17/2025.) Their hotel became a key destination for visiting dignitaries and hosted many local cultural and civic events.

Building Notes

The University of Southern California Library, Regional History Collection, has preserved five hotel registers of the Hollenbeck Hotel between 1884 and 1932. These included three from the hotel itself, one from its saloon and one from its restaurant.

Alteration

When first constructed in 1884, the Hollenbeck Building first contained only two stories, the first used for shops, the upper for office space. Third and fourth stories were added to the Hollenbeck Building in about 1888.

Demolition

The Trustees of the Elizabeth Hollenbeck Estate proceeded with the demolition of the Hollenbeck Hotel during 02/1932.

PCAD id: 15311