Everyone has heard of Los Angeles, but not too many people know that Los Angeles consists of 88 cities. They also probably don’t know that LA County’s 4th largest city, Glendale, was founded by a man that lived in my hometown of Moberly, Missouri. Glendale is a suburb of Los Angeles, located just 10 miles north of downtown LA with a population of 201,748. It is home to the headquarters of DreamWorks Animation, Disney Consumer Products and IHOP. In addition, Panda Express, Baskin Robbins, and the Disney Store all opened their first ever store front locations in Glendale, California.

So who is the “father of Glendale” that helped this great city get it’s start? His name was Leslie Brand and he was a Real Estate Developer. Brand left a lasting impression on the city of Glendale. From the palm tree lined streets, to the famous Grand Central Airport, to his famous residence “El Miradero,” Brand left his impact no matter where you go in Glendale. Brand created the concept for Los Angeles’s first airport, the historic Grand Central Airport. It was at Glendale’s Grand Central Airport that Amelia Earhart purchased her first airplane and where Laura Houghtaling Ingalls established the first women's transcontinental round trip record. Lindbergh also piloted the United States first regularly scheduled flight from the West coast to the East coast. In 1997, Disney purchased the Grand Central Airport and restored the property to its original grandeur. The airport is now home to Walt Disney Imagineering and Disney Interactive.

The airport was also home to filming for Shirley Temple, James Cagney, and Ronald Reagan. Not only was the Grand Central Airport the first major airport in Los Angeles, it was the first airport offering air travel between LA and New York. Additionally, it was the first paved runway west of the Rockies and offered departure for the first inter-continental flight.

Leslie Brand was born in Florissant, Missouri. In 1879, he got his start working in my hometown of Moberly, Missouri at the age of 20 years old at the Recorder’s office for Randolph county. Brand eventually created his own real estate business in Moberly with some partners. In 1886, when land development was taking off, he moved to Los Angeles and formed the Los Angeles Abstract Company with Edwin Sargent. Six years later, they sold the company when the market slumped in 1892. For a short period, Brand later lived in Galveston, Texas where he met and married his wife Mary Louis. He was able to see first-hand growth of the city of Galveston and the city center, which had tree lined streets. The tree lined streets later became a familiar characteristic in the streets of Glendale due to Brand planting palm trees along the streets.

Upon moving back to California in 1895, he partnered with Edwin Sargent and established the Los Angeles Title Guarantee and Trust Company. By 1901, the holdings of the Title Guarantee and Trust Company became the community of Glendale. In 1904, Brand built the “El Miradero” (Spanish for ‘The Lookout’) which was later given to the city of Glendale and became known as the “Brand Library.” Brand modeled “El Miradero” estate after the East India Pavillion that he saw at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Brand’s love for aviation lead him to build an airstrip on his private property for planes to land and take off. He held what was called “fly in parties” with the only requirement being that his guests had to arrive in their own planes and bring passengers.

Brand opened Glendale’s second bank and a telephone company called the San Fernando Valley Home Telephone Company. He also owned Glendale Light & Power Company and Miradero Water Company, and Consolidated Water Company. He later sold the power and water companies to the City of Glendale so they could provide municipal services to the community. With a partner, Brand also created the first electric rail that laid railway tracks between Glendale and downtown Los Angeles.

Brand had such a vision and love for real estate. It makes me wonder if some of the same beautiful historical homes in my hometown of Moberly, Missouri that I stood in awe of as a little girl, were the very homes that also inspired Brand. One thing is for sure. Leslie Brand’s vision had a lasting impact on the landscape of Los Angeles. Due to Brand’s vision, Glendale has become one of the most beautiful suburbs of Los Angeles.

References

1. Duran, Leo. “We’re Exploring LA County’s 88 Cities. Here’s Your Guide to Glendale.” News. January 24, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2020.

2. Bricker, Tom. “Grand Central Air Terminal Tour.” March 26, 2013. 
https://www.disneytouristblog.com/grand-central-air-terminal-tour/

3. “Glendale Approves Disney’s Grand Central Air Terminal Renovation Plan.” March 26, 2013. http://tropicostation.blogspot.com/(310) 404-1338/glendale-approves-disneys-grand-central.html

4. As cited in https://www.brandlibrary.org/history