MERRY CHRISTMAS WENDLING-NATHAN COMPANY LOS

Angeles San Francisco Portland

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The career of the Hollywood Lumber Company has been so out of the ordinary that it perhaps deserves a place among the archives of the industry.

It was in the spring of 19O3 that the writer and Joe Ganahl set out from Los Angeles, via horse and buggy, tcr Hollywood, then a separate town corporation, to endeavor to buy a site for a lumber yard. Both the Ganahl Lumber Company and the Montgomery & Mullin Company were operating supply yards at Redondo, and it was thought that Hollywood was too small to support two yards, so we decided to start a yard, under joint ownership of the trvo companies.

We had been advised that Hollywood rvas too esthetic a community to tolerate a lumber yard in its corporate imits, but we wanted a l,ocation as near as could be obtained. We called on Mr. Goodwin who 'lr'as the only real estate man then in Hollywood, with his office on the corner of Cahuenga and Hollywood Boulevard, where the Security-First National Bank is now located. NIr. Goocll'in showed us the plot of ground on Santa Monica Boulevard and Seward Street, then known as Colegrove, with frontage of 190 feet on Santa Monica and running bacl< 600 feet to Lexington, covering nearly three acres, which could be purchased for $3000.

We closed the deal and incorporate.d a company rvith J. F. Mullin as president, and Eugene Ganahl, secretary. The business was started with J. N. Fisher, an experienced lumberman, as manager.

After operating about trvo years in this ma.nner, the

Ganahl Company sold their interest to the Montgomery & Mullin Company, and the yard was operated as a branch yard until about the year 1916, when the company dissolved. We had sold most of our yards to Patten-Blinn Lumber Company, but I took over the Hollywood yard. I persuaded Mr. Mullin to take a $5000 interest, and the Itullin family still retain a one-sixth interest.

I became the president, and Ward Montgomery secretary. Don Mahafiey, who succeeded J. N. Fisher on his death, was manager, which position he held u,ntil he was elected to the office of County Supervisor.

When we first started the yard, Herbert Scholield was operating a small planing mill in another location, and in order to have it near by we sold him the North end of the property, l25xI9O feet facing on Lexington, for $650. He has been so fortunate as still to, retain ownership of the property and share in the "tlnearned increment."

Not long after the yard was first opened we rvere dismayed to find that Ira Nofziger, rvho had been a competitorat Ocea,n Park, had disregarded the 'ivishes of the community, and located a lumber yard in the center of Hollywood, on Hollywood Boulevard near Whitley Avenrle. Ira seemecl to have a proclivity to locate in prominent places. Old timers will remember that he once had a small yard on Main Street near Sixth across from the Pacific Electric. However, later on something happened to him and he withdrew from the lumber game and took up ranching near Glendale.

He disposed of the yard to Pie & Patterson, rvho in turn

Port Orford Cedar

sold it to Orville Routt. During the process it took the name of "Pioneer Lumber Company," which u'as a misnomer as far as the Hollywood Lumber Company was concerned. Mr. Routt afterward moved the yard to a location on Cosmos Street near Hollywood Boulevard where he operated it until it was taken over by the Hollywood Lumber Company.

The Hollywood Lumber Company shared in the growth of Hollywood and enjoyed the confidence of the public which gave it their patronage. Like other yards it had its "ups and downs," depending on general trade conditions. Our sales ran f'rom a low of $3000 per month during the \Morld War, to a high of $30,000, in which year the yard showed a net profit of $3O000, and the capital stock u'as increased to $50,000.

About the year 1928, Mr. Routt offered to sell us the Cosmos Street yard and actuated, perhaps, by the desire to regain the title of being the "'pioneer" yard, we took it over and organized a new company under the name of "Hollyw,ood Pioneer Lumber Company" to operate both yards, with the Hollywood Lumber Comp'any retaining ownership of the real estate.

This turned out to be an unfortunate investment. Perhaps the old Hollywood Lumber Company resented the intrusion of its rival, but with the slump in business, increased overhead, and other factors, the business showed a loss, and it was decided to close the Cosmos Street yard, and later to discontinue the Santa Monica Boulevard yard, as the ground had grown too valuable for a lumber yard site.

We gave up the Hollywood Pioneer franchise and again operated under the name of the Hollywood Lumber Company, and business immediately started on the up-grade. Incidentally, Mr. Routt had kept a $5000 interest in the lumber company, and I had taken the same amount in his wallboard concern. But as both investments turned out to be equally unfortunate; rve exchanged same and continued good friends.

We secured good tenants on long leases and erected buildings for their use. First the Railway Express office and warehouse, then the Good Humor Ice Cream Company and garage, and Averill Morgan Cleaning and Dyeing Company. Not long since we built a fine cafe building for the Go,od Humor Ice Cream Company and sold them all the remaining frontage so that the ground is fully occupied.

During the ten years of tenancy to date I estimate that we have collected nearly $250,000 in rentals, have paid off bank loans, paid ZO/o per year divide,nds to stockholders, and assets which started at $25,00O now shorv about $150,000. Not a bad showing for a small lumber concern. We have seen no v/ay to profitably give up our franchise and so will probably continue to function for some time as the Hollywood Lumber Compa.ny.

The erection ,of five business structures. and two residences in Hollywood, together with the fact that the writer has crossed the ocean over forty times, would indicate that he has n,ot been entirely idle since his retirement from active service in the lumber business, twenty years ago.

PONDEROSA

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DOUGLAS

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