George Lafayette Crenshaw (1854 – February 18, 1937), was a

real estate developer Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re- lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to othe ...

and

banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Becaus ...

who help developed several upscale residential developments in mid-city Los Angeles and Southern Los Angeles neighborhoods in the early 1900s including Lafayette Square and

Wellington Square Wellington Square may refer to: * A neighbourhood in Burlington, Ontario, Canada * Wellington Square, Chelsea, a garden square in Chelsea, London * A square in Hastings, on the south coast of England * A square in Kolkata, India, renamed Subodh ...

. He was the owner of C.H. Brown Banking Company in Missouri and the Crenshaw Security Company in Los Angeles, California.

Biography

After the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Los Angeles was a town that was looking for an uptick in population. Around the turn of the twentieth century, there was a large oil boom in southern California. Between the extraordinary climate that California had to offer and the rich resources that provided jobs in the oil and agricultural industries, the state experienced great population booms. In Los Angeles, Crenshaw invested in and oversaw ten residential real estate ventures to help satiate the growth; one of the new wealthy neighborhoods would become

and Lafayette Square in Los Angeles. "A man who left an indelible impression upon his adopted city was George L. Crenshaw, the real estate pioneer who died here Wednesday. His name will continue to be known because of the designation of the great boulevard in the West End area. His contributions to the (sic) upbuilding of Los Angeles from the time of his arrival here in 1905 were unceasing. He was one of a dwindling group of early-day real estate leaders whose monuments are the homes of countless thousands. They did much to acquaint the world with the attractions of Southern California. Mr. Crenshaw deserves a place in the front rank of those developers. They formed the bone and sinew of a metropolis."

Legacy

The Crenshaw district of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

and its principal thoroughfare,

Crenshaw Boulevard Crenshaw Boulevard is a north-south thoroughfare in Los Angeles, California, that runs through Crenshaw and other neighborhoods along a 23-mile (37.76 km) route in the west-central part of the city. The street extends between Wilshire Bouleva ...

and

Destination Crenshaw Destination Crenshaw is an under-construction open-air museum along Crenshaw Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, dedicated to preserving the history and culture of African Americans. The project includes new pocket parks, outdoor sculptures, ...

bear his name.

Matea Gold Matea is a feminine given name. It is the feminine form of the male name Mateo, Matej or Matija, which are Croatian forms of Matthew. Notable people with the name include: * Matea Bošnjak, Croatian footballer * Matea Čiča, Croatian badminton ...

"Proposal Not Music to His Ears: Piano-playing grandson of the developer of Crenshaw Boulevard opposes plan to rename the street for late Mayor Tom Bradley."
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'', June 25, 2003.

References

*LaFayette Square Historic Preservation Overlay Zone; LaFayette Organization; 2011 American real estate businesspeople American bankers History of Los Angeles 1854 births 1937 deaths {{US-business-bio-1850s-stub