Glenn Holland
Encyclopedia
Harold Glenn Holland was a developer from Arcadia, California
who established the first franchise
of amusement parks, Santa's Village
.
and his parents died before his eighteenth birthday, leaving him to care for his younger sister.
. Holland set up a corporation that funded the amusement park, and leased the land from the family of the general contractor J. Putnam Henck.
In the early 1950’s, Holland sat at his kitchen table one day and started to sketch his idea of a Christmas
fairyland filled with enormous candy canes, animals and gingerbread houses. Holland developed this idea into a working plan and began finding investors for his project. He traveled the country selling his Santa’s Village concept and $45 stock shares and eventually listed his new company, Santa’s Village Corporation, on the California Stock Exchange.
Around the same time, Walt Disney
was building Disneyland; Holland contacted Disney, and the two men reportedly corresponded for a time. But while Disney was already wealthy from his films, Holland was an unknown.
Glenn Holland was also good friends with Dick and Mac McDonald. The McDonald brothers told him about their business idea with Ray Kroc
for a chain
of fast-food restaurants. The story inspired Holland to franchise his parks.
The first Santa’s Village opened Memorial Day in 1955, six weeks before Disneyland, in Skyforest near Lake Arrowhead
in San Bernardino County, California
. It would close in 1998. A second Santa’s Village opened in 1957 near Scotts Valley in Santa Cruz County
, California, staying open until 1979. The last Santa's Village was opened in 1959 in the Chicago
suburb
of East Dundee and closed in 2006.
Holland had planned for the Dundee park to be the hub of a nationwide chain of Santa's Villages. The other two, in Richmond, Virginia
and Cherry Hill, New Jersey
, were never built.
Despite the park's early popularity, Holland had not planned for the freezing weather in Illinois
. While his West Coast parks stayed open year-round, doing their best business in the weeks before Christmas, the Chicago area was too cold. Eventually, Santa's Village in East Dundee was in the odd position of being closed on Christmas.
The miscalculation helped lead to the collapse of the company. Holland found himself stretched thin. By 1965, investors rebelled. Holland was close to a nervous breakdown. Heartbroken, he left the company; the parks were sold.
"Where he made the error was going on and doing the final one in Illinois. It was just not financially a good idea," said Reece, his daughter. "But he knew he had touched people with the parks. It was the most special thing he felt he had ever done."
Holland, who later became a real estate
developer, died in 2002 at 84.
Arcadia, California
Arcadia is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and located approximately northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains....
who established the first franchise
Chain store
Chain stores are retail outlets that share a brand and central management, and usually have standardized business methods and practices. These characteristics also apply to chain restaurants and some service-oriented chain businesses. In retail, dining and many service categories, chain businesses...
of amusement parks, Santa's Village
Santa's Village (Lake Arrowhead)
Santa's Village was a winter-themed amusement park in the Skyforest section of Lake Arrowhead, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first franchised amusement park, one of three built by developer Glenn Holland. The park closed in 1998...
.
Early life
Holland grew up during the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and his parents died before his eighteenth birthday, leaving him to care for his younger sister.
Santa's Village
In 1953, Holland proposed Santa's Village after reading a Saturday Evening Post story about a similar project called North Pole in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Holland set up a corporation that funded the amusement park, and leased the land from the family of the general contractor J. Putnam Henck.
In the early 1950’s, Holland sat at his kitchen table one day and started to sketch his idea of a Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
fairyland filled with enormous candy canes, animals and gingerbread houses. Holland developed this idea into a working plan and began finding investors for his project. He traveled the country selling his Santa’s Village concept and $45 stock shares and eventually listed his new company, Santa’s Village Corporation, on the California Stock Exchange.
Around the same time, Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
was building Disneyland; Holland contacted Disney, and the two men reportedly corresponded for a time. But while Disney was already wealthy from his films, Holland was an unknown.
Glenn Holland was also good friends with Dick and Mac McDonald. The McDonald brothers told him about their business idea with Ray Kroc
Ray Kroc
Raymond Albert "Ray" Kroc was an American fast food businessman who joined McDonald's in 1954 and built it into the most successful fast food operation in the world. Kroc was included in Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century, and amassed a fortune during his lifetime...
for a chain
Chain
A chain is a sequence of connected links.Chain may also refer to:Chain may refer to:* Necklace - a jewelry which is worn around the neck* Mail , a type of armor made of interlocking chain links...
of fast-food restaurants. The story inspired Holland to franchise his parks.
The first Santa’s Village opened Memorial Day in 1955, six weeks before Disneyland, in Skyforest near Lake Arrowhead
Lake Arrowhead, California
Lake Arrowhead is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in the San Bernardino Mountains of San Bernardino County, California, within the San Bernardino National Forest, adjacent to Lake Arrowhead Reservoir...
in San Bernardino County, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It would close in 1998. A second Santa’s Village opened in 1957 near Scotts Valley in Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County, California
Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, on the California Central Coast. The county forms the northern coast of the Monterey Bay. . As of the 2010 U.S. Census, its population was 262,382. The county seat is Santa Cruz...
, California, staying open until 1979. The last Santa's Village was opened in 1959 in the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of East Dundee and closed in 2006.
Holland had planned for the Dundee park to be the hub of a nationwide chain of Santa's Villages. The other two, in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
and Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Cherry Hill is a township in Camden County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a population of 71,045, representing an increase of 1,080 from the 69,965 residents enumerated during the 2000 Census...
, were never built.
Despite the park's early popularity, Holland had not planned for the freezing weather in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. While his West Coast parks stayed open year-round, doing their best business in the weeks before Christmas, the Chicago area was too cold. Eventually, Santa's Village in East Dundee was in the odd position of being closed on Christmas.
The miscalculation helped lead to the collapse of the company. Holland found himself stretched thin. By 1965, investors rebelled. Holland was close to a nervous breakdown. Heartbroken, he left the company; the parks were sold.
"Where he made the error was going on and doing the final one in Illinois. It was just not financially a good idea," said Reece, his daughter. "But he knew he had touched people with the parks. It was the most special thing he felt he had ever done."
Holland, who later became a real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
developer, died in 2002 at 84.