It was around 1920, the story goes, when Joseph W. Young, a developer and visionary from California, stood in a field somewhere near the center of today’s downtown Hollywood. Looking East toward the ocean, he declared: “This is where I will build my dream city”.
And build it he did. So on the anniversary of his birthday every year, August 4th, the Hollywood Historical Society throws a party! And since the 4th luckily falls on the first Sunday of the month this year, when the HHS holds its Downtown Walking Tour, exhibits at the Downtown Classic Car Show and opens its doors to the public for docent-led tours of the Historical Hammerstein House at 1520 Polk Street, we’ll be celebrating on all cylinders!
Visitors will have the chance to see the fact-filled and fascinating exhibit about the beginnings and growth of the Hollywood Historical Society. And with the approach of the 100th anniversary of the City of Hollywood, we’ll be starting our 2025 Centennial exhibitions at Hamm House with a show focusing on Joseph Young and his vision of Hollywood adopting the City Beautiful movement.
According to an article by Joan Mickelson, author, historian and our Head Archivist Emeritus, Young followed the movement when he drew the city plan with its broad Boulevard intersected by three circles. Soon came several elegant resort hotels, the renowned Country Club, various office buildings, a bridge at the Boulevard spanning the Inland Waterway, a splendid railroad station, an Olympic salt-water pool, and a school. There was land for parks, and from the start, underground power cables, water and sewers, a telephone system, sidewalks, and handsome street lighting.
In 1925, when Hollywood was incorporated as a city, Young was elected first Mayor but resigned to develop the Hollywood Harbor project, today known as Port Everglades.
Sadly, Young died at only 51, on February 27, 1934, in his home at 1055 Hollywood Boulevard, denying the world of any future cities as special as ours. Almost immediately upon his passing, the Hollywood city commission renamed the former Circle Park/Harding Circle to Young Circle, and on August 1, 1935, Mayor Arthur W. Kellner issued a Proclamation designating Young’s birthdate as Founder’s Day and a public holiday for the city.
The first Founder’s Day was quite the event! More than 2,000 townspeople attended the all-day affair, which included a golf tournament at the Municipal Golf Course (now Orangebrook), water sports at the beach Casino, band concerts by two local boys’ bands, a dance program by local children, picnics at the beach, speakers, and a ball game at Dowdy Field. (Editor’s note — check out the progress of improvements at Dowdy Field, Orangebrook and other city recreation spots, thanks to the GO Bond you voted for a few years back.)
The Hollywood Historical Society is proud to continue this tradition, and welcomes all to celebrate with us! Please call 954-923-5590 or email [email protected] for details.
These exhibits and events are just a taste of the Hollywood Historical Society’s agenda supporting its mission to keep the City’s history alive for today and the future. We are a nonprofit 501(c)(3)* cultural organization founded and operated by volunteers. For more information or to join us, please email [email protected], or visit http://www.hollywoodhistoricalsociety.org/. Hammerstein House is open for docent-led tours on the first Sunday of every month from 1 to 4, or by appointment.
The Hollywood Historical Society has over 20,000 items in its collection and also offers many unique items for sale at the Research Center behind Hammerstein House at 1520 Polk St. Please call
954-923-5590 for hours.
