Ben Weingart (1888–1980) was an American real estate investor and developer, influential in the development of various areas of southern California, including

Lakewood, California Lakewood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 82,496 at the 2020 census. It is bordered by Long Beach on the west, northwest and south, Bellflower on the north, Cerritos on the northeast, Cypress on t ...

. A self-made man, Weingart became one of the richest men in California, building a fortune of nearly $100 million, and the Weingart Foundation, his philanthropic organization, has provided grants and support to many charitable causes, having granted more than $950 million in support of various Southern California social services, educational and community programs.

Early life

Ben Weingart was born Benjamin Weingarten, on September 26, 1888, in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

. At age four, Ben's German-born father died from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

, and his Russian mother passed shortly afterwards, leaving him and his two brothers orphans. Along with his brothers Harry and Max, he was raised at the Hebrew Orphans Asylum in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

until being adopted by a

Christian Scientist Activists, politicians, and military figures Activists *Tsianina Redfeather Blackstone (1882-1985) – Native American singer and activist * Bonnie Carroll – President and founder of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) *Henry ...

sharecropper Sharecropping is a legal arrangement in which a landowner allows a tenant (sharecropper) to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on that land. Sharecropping is not to be conflated with tenant farming, providing the tenant a ...

outside of Atlanta, near Tignall. Weingart converted to Christian Science as a child, although he supported many Jewish causes later in his life.

Career

Weingart traveled the country with a grifter named Lieber who Weingart described as a "phony doctor." The duo teamed up to sell magnifying lenses as eyeglasses in small towns throughout the west.Farrell 2002, p.12 Weingart moved to Los Angeles in 1906. Still a teenager, he became a delivery driver for the Diamond Laundry Company.Farrell 2002, p.14 His horse and wagon route took him to various hotels in downtown

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

where one of his clients offered him a job as hotel manager.Farrell 2002, p.25 Weingart came to own the Winchester Hotel in Los Angeles, California and a portfolio of more than 200 other hotels. A self-made businessman, Weingart built a fortune and was a millionaire by his early twenties. Weingart was also an inventor. He built a robot that could respond to piano chords, and developed a high-speed computing counter, and registered patents for various other inventions, including a vacuum cleaner that could reach under furniture, and a novel design for a toilet paper holder. In 1949 he partnered with Louis Boyar and Mark Taper to acquire 3500 acres of agricultural land near Long Beach, The group formed the Lakewood Park Company and with financing from Prudential Insurance, built 17,000 affordable homes in the new community of

. The group built the Lakewood Center in 1953, and two years later Lakewood was the largest planned city in the United States. From his office at 1301 Wilshire, at the corner of Witmer, in Downtown Los Angeles, Weingart operated his real estate empire through a corporation called “Tragniew,” (Weingart spelled backwards). Weingart owned or controlled many real estate assets, including Consolidated Hotels Corporation, a holding company that operated several modest hotels on Skid Row in Downtown L.A., as well as many shopping centers, office buildings, and more than two hundred apartment buildings throughout the city. In 1951, Weingart and his wife Stella set up what is now the Weingart Foundation. According to their website, the foundation has made grants exceeding $1 billion, and their work is aimed at "advancing racial, social and economic justice in Southern California."

Personal life

Ben Weingart met Stella Shobe in Boyle Heights and they were married in Santa Ana on Monday, April 23, 1917, when Ben was 28, and Stella was 35. Stella Weingart died of acute congestive heart failure on December 29, 1957.

Later life and death

Weingart's health began to decline in the 1970s, and beginning in the late 1970s, his companion, Laura Winston, attracted headlines for challenging the court-ordered conservatorship that placed him under the control of three of his business associates. Winston argued that Weingart was capable of handling his own affairs. Ben Weingart died at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Downtown Los Angeles on December 22, 1980, aged 92. After his death, Laura Winston fought a protracted legal battle to win recognition as Weingart's companion and to defend her inheritance rights. Winston died February 3, 2010, aged 85.

Legacy

Several structures and organizations in Los Angeles bear Weingart's name today, including: *

Weingart Stadium Weingart Stadium (formerly East Los Angeles College Stadium or ELAC Stadium) is a 22,355-capacity multi-purpose stadium located at East Los Angeles College, in Monterey Park, California. It was built in 1951 at a cost of $3.1 million, and follow ...

* Weingart Center for the Homeless

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Weingart, Ben 1888 births 1980 deaths American Jews American businesspeople in real estate American Christian Scientists History of Los Angeles Real estate and property developers Businesspeople from Louisville, Kentucky