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Hancock Park

Hancock Park boundaries are: Rossmore to Highland Avenues; Melrose Ave. to Wilshire Blvd. There are approximately 1200 homes.

Hancock Park owes its name to developer-philanthropist G. Allan Hancock who sub-divided the property in the 1920ÿs. Hancock, born and raised in a home at the La Brea tar pits, inherited the 440 acres which his father, Major Henry Hancock, had acquired from the Rancho LaBrea property owned by the family of Jose Jorge Rocha.

A 23-acre site where the Hancock family home stood was donated to the County in 1923 and is called Hancock County Park. This land is also now the site of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Page Museum.

Nine years later Hancock subdivided the property from Rossmore to Highland avenues between Wilshire Blvd. and Melrose Ave. into residential lots. He leased 105 acres to the Wilshire Country Club with an option to buy. Hancock also insisted that his master plan include concrete streets and the location of utility lines at the rear of each development, out of sight of homeowners. Another condition was that homeowners build no less than 50 feet from the curb.

He also gave $100,000 to the Los Angeles Railway to extend its tracks along Third Street (which stopped at Larchmont Blvd.) west to La Brea Ave.

Architects such as Paul Williams, A.C. Chisholm and John Austin were hired to design homes for many of the cityÿs pioneer families including the Dockweilers, Duques and Bannings.

Hancock, whose many talents included scientist, musician, financier and engineer, died in Santa Maria in 1965. To learn more about the areaÿs namesake visit the Hancock Foundation building on the USC campus.