Howard B. Drollinger By Cozette Vergari I have already written about the courageous visionary, Ella Drollinger, taking the risk in 1944 of building the first commercial property in Westchester at a time when the area was beginning to evolve and take shape out of the wheat fields surrounding the small Los Angeles Air Port. And, no that is not a typo. Initially, on March 17, 1928, the headline for The Daily Californian read “Air Port Here Chosen.” Shortly after on July 26, 1928, the Los Angeles Examiner’s front page headline read, “Council Votes To Lease Mines Field For City Air Port.” The land was owned by rancher Andrew Bennett and comprised of acres of wheatfields. The original terminal built in 1928 still exists at the eastern end of LAX. Will Rogers and Charles Lindbergh landed in the first passenger plane at Mines Field. Commercial aviation was developing its foundation with an eye to the future. And, as the future unfolded, Ella’s vision of a commercial district to support the community of Westchester and its new stakeholders working in the aerospace and defense industries following WWII, was shared, embraced and carried on by her son, Howard B. Drollinger. After returning from serving his country in WWII in the Army Airforce and having been awarded the Purple Heart, four air medals and two Presidential Unit Citations, Howard joined Ella to grow Westchester’s commercial district. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at USC, and would go on to build and manage much of the area along Sepulveda. During the expansion of LAX in the 60s and 70s, more than 3,500 homes were taken by the airport and approximately 10,000 residents were displaced. That, coupled with the opening of Culver City’s Fox Hills Mall
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(now Westfield Culver City), hit the retail and business district of Westchester hard. Howard fought back even harder, and for nearly 20 years bought up the real estate that was being abandoned and left behind by major retail companies who were moving to the malls. Single screen movie theaters could not compete with the new multi-screen cinemas that were attached to those same malls. Along with those who fought for the preservation of the Loyola Theater as a historic landmark, Howard battled for decades on many levels to preserve the Paradise Building at the southeast corner of Sepulveda Boulevard and Westchester Parkway. The theater had been the site of many star-studded movie premieres in the 1950s with searchlights lighting up the evening skies over Westchester as it hosted many Hollywood celebrities of the day. When it opened on August 23, 1950, its proximity to the Los Angeles Airport made the Paradise Theater the ideal place to host celebrities traveling from afar. His redevelopment of the Sepulveda commercial district culminated in 1995 with the opening of the Ralphs Supermarket Center and attracting other large retail businesses to take up shop in downtown Westchester. It was exciting to see new businesses opening in the location of the first building constructed by his mother on the southeast corner of Sepulveda Boulevard and La Tijera, which opened as a Thrifty Drug Store in 1945. More than 25 years later, the Ralphs Supermarket Center, now known as Westchester Village, is still the hub of the commercial district and is bordered on the south by Howard Drollinger Way. Today, the center is home to numerous eateries, a CVS, Chase Bank, Starbucks and a Petco. Howard was a not just a developer, however. He was
also a philanthropist, who gave back to his community and to the region at large. Raising his family in the Westchester/ Playa del Rey community with his wife Jewel, he appreciated the concept of giving back and established the Drollinger Family Charitable Foundation. The foundation continues to give, through his legacy, to countless local charitable and educational causes. On November 15, 2017, the Rotary Club of Westchester honored Howard and the Drollinger Family Charitable Foundation, by installing the Rotary International Clock that sits at the west end of Howard Drollinger Way, in the Westchester Village shopping center. The clock is a tribute to Howard and his family for all the years of dedication to the community of Westchester/ Playa, past, present and future. Since Howard was a member of the club for nearly 50 years after joining in 1952, the dedication was even more special. During his decades with the organization, he donated hundreds of thousands to support its efforts. If you read the panels on the clock, you will also notice another dedication to the business community of Westchester. This serves as a symbol of the close partnership between the Drollinger Family Charitable Foundation and the Westchester Rotary Foundation to support the community and its citizens, as well as maintain a thriving business area. Cozette is an attorney and lifelong resident of Westchester. She is the President of the Westchester/Playa Historical Society. Together with a group of dedicated volunteers, the organization is working on creating new programming and events to celebrate the history of the area and engage the community in preserving it for future generations.
Top: Howard Drollinger. Bottom. Drollinger’s daughter, Karen Dial (left), and Cozette Vergari pose at the clock dedication.
Westchester • Playa del Rey • Marina del Rey • Playa Vista HomeTown News
