The Janss Investment Company was a family-run,
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 ...
–based
real estate development
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 other ...
company that operated from 1895 to 1995.
First generation
The Janss Investment Company was founded by Peter Janss, an immigrant doctor from
Denmark
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, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
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, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
. Peter Janss graduated in the class of 1877 in
Keokuk, Iowa
Keokuk is a city in and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States, along with Fort Madison. It is Iowa's southernmost city. The population was 9,900 at the time of the 2020 census. The city is named after the Sauk chief Keokuk, who is ...
, and by 1882 he was appointed
Hall County physician. He moved to
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 ...
in 1893, planning to practice medicine but discovered the real estate industry was much more lucrative.
By 1906 he and his two sons, Edwin Janss Sr. and Harold Janss established an investment company, creating subdivisions in
Belvedere Gardens,
Boyle Heights
Boyle is an English, Irish and Scottish surname of Gaelic, Anglo-Saxon or Norman origin. In the northwest of Ireland it is one of the most common family names. Notable people with the surname include:
Disambiguation
*Adam Boyle (disambiguation), ...
,
Monterey Park, and
Yorba Linda
Yorba Linda is a suburban city in northeastern Orange County, California, United States, approximately Ordinal directions, southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. It is part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, and had a population of 68,336 at th ...
.
Janss developed Ramona Acres in Monterey Park. Janss subdivided Highland Villa and Belvedere Gardens (now known as
East Los Angeles) in Boyle Heights.
In 1909, Janss subdivided a part of the
Bernardo Yorba
Bernardo Yorba (August 20, 1800 – November 28, 1858), was a prominent Californio landowner, public figure, and one of the wealthiest men in early 19th-century California. Yorba also served as alcalde (mayor) of Santa Ana. The city of Yorba ...
Rancho Cañón de Santa Ana
Rancho Cañón de Santa Ana was a land grant in present-day Orange County, California given by Mexican governor José Figueroa in 1834 to Bernardo Yorba. The name means "Canyon of Santa Ana". The grant included present-day Yorba Linda.
Histor ...
property and named the new town "Yorba Linda".
Second generation
Sons Edwin Janss Sr. and Harold Janss developed
Van Nuys and
Owensmouth,
now called
Canoga Park.
In 1911 Harold Janss married
Arthur Letts
Arthur Letts Sr. (June 17, 1862 – May 18, 1923) was an immigrant from England who made his fortune in Los Angeles, California, in the early years of the 20th century. He built his wealth by transforming a small, bankrupt dry goods store in Down ...
's daughter Gladys. In 1923 after Arthur Letts, Sr., died, they took control of the
William Wolfskill ranch on
Rancho San Jose de Buenos Ayres
Rancho or Ranchos may refer to:
Settlements and communities
*Rancho, Aruba, former fishing village and neighbourhood of Oranjestad
* Ranchos of California, 19th century land grants in Alta California
** List of California Ranchos
* Ranchos, Buenos ...
. In a deal to get the
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...
, in 1925 Janss Investment Company sold to the cities of Los Angeles,
Santa Monica
Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to i ...
and
Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...
at the bargain price of $1.2 million — about a quarter of its value. The cities, whose voters had passed bond issues to pay for the site, turned around and donated it to the state. The UCLA campus's "Janss Steps" are named for the two brothers. While the UCLA campus was being built, Janss Investment Company went to work developing the
Westwood Village
Westwood is a commercial and residential neighborhood in the northern central portion of the Westside region of Los Angeles, California. It is the home of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Bordering the campus on the south ...
commercial area and surrounding residential neighborhoods.
Due to racial covenants included in the deeds of the buildings in Westwood Village, people of color were barred from patronizing businesses in the area.
After Janss sold the land to help build the UCLA campus, many organizations affiliated with university began to form. Many of these groups were fraternities and sororities whose members were mostly white men and women. The land for the university had been sold, but the land surrounding it still belonged to Janss. They sold the land along Hilgard Ave. to twenty one European American groups for the prices between $7,500 and $9,500, whereas the usual asking price was between $8,000 and $12,000.
In 1938 an Asian American sorority,
Chi Alpha Delta, wanted to purchase the UCLA Religious Conference building with the hopes of setting up a home for its members and students near campus. The university appeared to be wanting to sell the building for this purpose, but while some of Janss was willing to sell, one was unwilling to sell to "Orientals".
The Janss Brothers' headquarters in Westwood Village, the
Janss Investment Company Building or Janss Dome, was opened in 1929. The Dome stands today as one of the iconic buildings of Westwood Village. The firm's Janss Investment Co. "stamps" appear on sidewalks in many
Westside residential neighborhoods.
Third generation
Edwin Janss Jr. was chairman of the Janss Investment Company and the third generation of a family of Los Angeles real-estate developers. He and his brother
Bill Janss helped expand or develop two ski resorts —
Sun Valley in
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...
and
Snowmass (ski area)
Snowmass is a ski resort located in the Town of Snowmass Village near Aspen, Colorado. The ski area is owned and operated by the Aspen Skiing Company as part of the Aspen/Snowmass complex. It was opened on December 17, 1967
. Snowmass is the ...
in
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
— both of which were sold in the late 1970s. Bill Janss was a member of the never-to-compete 1940
US Ski Team
The U.S. Ski Team, operating under the auspices of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, develops and supports men's and women's athletes in the sports of alpine skiing, freestyle skiing, cross-country, ski jumping, and Nordic combined. Since 1974 the team and a ...
. They developed the suburban community of
Thousand Oaks
Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, United States. It is in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles, approximately from the city of Los Angeles and from Downtown. It is named after the many oak tree ...
on of land in the
Conejo Valley
The Conejo Valley is a region spanning both southeastern Ventura County and northwestern Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States. It is located in the northwestern part of the Greater Los Angeles Area.
Communities in the Conejo ...
purchased in 1919.
Fourth generation
William Janss Jr., M.D., took over the family business and became Janss Corp.'s president in 1980. During his term, the firm developed some $160 million worth of projects. The firm ceased operations in 1995.
''Janss Corp. real estate firm closing down'', Los Angeles Business Journal, Oct 9, 1995
/ref> Dr. Janss now resides in El Paso, Texas
El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...
, where he practices.
References
{{reflist, 30em
Real estate companies of the United States
Land owners from California
History of Los Angeles
Economy of Thousand Oaks, California
University of California, Los Angeles
Westwood, Los Angeles
Companies based in Los Angeles
American companies established in 1895
Real estate companies established in 1895
Companies disestablished in 1995
1895 establishments in California
1995 disestablishments in California
Defunct companies based in Greater Los Angeles
Defunct real estate companies of the United States