The Janss Investment Company was a family run, Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

, real estate development

Real estate development

Real estate development, or Property Development, is a multifaceted business, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of improved land or parcels to others...

 company that operated from 1895 to 1995.

First generation

The Janss Investment Company was founded by Peter Janss, an immigrant doctor from Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

. Peter Janss graduated in the class of 1877 in Keokuk, Iowa

Keokuk, Iowa

Keokuk is a city in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Iowa and one of the county seats of Lee County. The other county seat is Fort Madison. The population was 11,427 at the 2000 census. The city is named after the Sauk Chief Keokuk, who is thought to be buried in Rand Park...

, and by 1882 he was appointed Hall County

Hall County, Nebraska

-History:Hall County was formed in 1858. It was named after Augustus Hall, an early judge of this territory.- Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there were 53,534 people, 20,356 households, and 14,086 families residing in the county. The population density was 98 people per square mile...

 physician. He moved to Los Angeles in 1893, planning to practice medicine but discovered the real estate industry was much more lucrative. By 1906 he and his two sons, Edwin Janss Sr. and Harold Janss established an investment company, creating subdivisions in Boyle Heights, Monterey Park

Monterey Park, California

Monterey Park is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles. The city's motto is "Pride in the past, Faith in the future"...

, and Yorba Linda

Yorba Linda, California

Yorba Linda is a suburban city in northeastern Orange County, California, approximately northeast of Downtown Santa Ana, and southeast of Downtown Los Angeles....

.

Janss developed Ramona Acres in Monterey Park. Janss subdivided Highland Villa and Belvedere Gardens in Boyle Heights.
In 1909, Janss subdivided a 3500 acres (14.2 km²) part of the Bernardo Yorba

Bernardo Yorba

Bernardo Yorba , was a native of Nueva California and the son of Spanish soldier, José Antonio Yorba. Bernardo became one of the most successful ranchers in Alta California with thousands of cattle and horses grazing on land grants totaling more than 35,000 acres...

 Rancho Cañón de Santa Ana

Rancho Cañón de Santa Ana

Rancho Cañón de Santa Ana was a land grant in present day Orange County, California given by Mexican governor José Figueroa in 1834 to Bernardo Yorba. The name means "Canyon of Santa Ana". The grant included present day Yorba Linda.-History:...

 property and named the new town "Yorba Linda".

Second generation

Sons Edwin Janss Sr. and Harold Janss developed Van Nuys and Owensmouth,
now called Canoga Park.

In 1911 Harold Janss married Arthur Letts

Arthur Letts

Arthur Letts, Sr. was the underfunded immigrant from England who made his name, fortune, and mark in Los Angeles, California in the early years of the 20th century...

 daughter Gladys. In 1923 after Arthur Letts, Sr. died, they took control of the 3300 acres (13.4 km²) William Wolfskill

William Wolfskill

William Wolfskill was a cowboy and agronomist from Los Angeles, California, who was highly influential in the development of California's agricultural industry in the 19th century.-Valencia orange:...

 ranch on Rancho San Jose de Buenos Ayres

Rancho San Jose de Buenos Ayres

Rancho San Jose de Buenos Ayres was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given by Governor Micheltorena in 1843 to Maximo Alanis. The area that was given to Alanis now occupies Westwood, UCLA, Holmby Hills, and Bel Air, Los Angeles...

. In a deal to get the University of California, Los Angeles

University of California, Los Angeles

The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...

, in 1925 Janss Investment Company sold 375 acres (1.5 km²) to the cities of Los Angeles, Santa Monica

Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...

 and Beverly Hills

Beverly Hills, California

Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...

 at the bargain price of $1.2 million — about a quarter of its value. The cities, whose voters had passed bond issues to pay for the site, turned around and donated it to the state. The UCLA campus's "Janss Steps" are named for the two brothers. While the UCLA campus was being built, Janss Investment Company went to work developing the Westwood Village

Westwood Village, Los Angeles, California

Westwood Village is the main shopping and commercial center of the Westwood district in the City of Los Angeles, California. It is located north of Wilshire Boulevard, east of Gayley Avenue, south of Le Conte Avenue, and west of Hilgard Avenue.-History:...

 commercial area and surrounding residential neighborhoods.

The Janss Brothers' headquarters in Westwood Village, the Janss Investment Company Building

Janss Investment Company Building

The Janss Investment Company Building, also known as the Janss Dome, is an historic building in Westwood Village, Los Angeles, California. The building is located at the five way intersection of Westwood Boulevard, Kinross and Broxton Avenues....

 or Janss Dome, was opened in 1929. The Dome stands today as one of the iconic buildings of Westwood Village. The firm's Janss Investment Co. "stamps" embellish sidewalks in many Westside

West Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California

West Los Angeles is a district in Los Angeles, California, within a larger region known as the "Westside."-Geography and transportation:...

 residential neighborhoods.

Third generation

Edwin Janss Jr. was chairman of the Janss Investment Company and the third generation of a family of Los Angeles real-estate developers. He and his brother Bill Janss helped expand or develop two ski resorts — Sun Valley

Sun Valley, Idaho

Sun Valley is a resort city in Blaine County in the central part of the U.S. state of Idaho, adjacent to the city of Ketchum, lying within the greater Wood River valley. Tourists from around the world enjoy its skiing, hiking, ice skating, trail riding, tennis, and cycling. The population was 1,427...

  in Idaho

Idaho

Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

 and Snowmass (ski area)

Snowmass (ski area)

Snowmass is a part of the Aspen/Snowmass ski resort complex located in western Colorado near the town of Aspen, Colorado. It is owned and operated by the Aspen Skiing Company. Snowmass is the largest of the four Aspen/Snowmass mountains, comprising . The mountain is most notable for its wide...

 in Colorado

Colorado

Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

 — both of which were sold in the late 1970s. Bill Janss was a member of the never-to-compete 1940 US Ski Team. They developed the suburban community of Thousand Oaks

Thousand Oaks, California

Thousand Oaks is a city in southeastern Ventura County, California, in the United States. It was named after the many oak trees that grace the area, and the city seal is adorned with an oak....

 on 10000 acres (40.5 km²) of land in the Conejo Valley

Conejo Valley

The Conejo Valley is a region spanning both southeastern Ventura County and northwestern Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States...

purchased in 1919.

Fourth generation

William Janss Jr., M.D., took over the family business and became Janss Corp.'s president in 1980. During his term, the firm developed some $160 million worth of projects. The firm ceased operations in 1995. Dr. Janss now resides in El Paso, Texas, where he practices. Dr. Janss has three kids, Alex, Peter, and Todd Janss.