| Alphonzo E. Bell, Sr. |
Website Links For Bell |
Information AboutAlphonzo E. Bell, Sr. |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT ALPHONZO BELL | |
| 1875 births | |
| bell, al | |
| 1947 deaths | |
| american tennis players | |
| olympic tennis players of the united states | |
| tennis players at the 1900 summer olympics | |
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FAMILY AND BACKGROUND Bell graduated from Occidental College in 1895. He was a lifelong Los Angeles resident and came from a family with deep financial and historical ties to the area. He was the son of James George Bell, who established Bell Station Ranch (now the site of the city of Bell, California), in the Santa Fe Springs area in 1875. His uncle, Ed Hollenbeck, had arrived in California in the 1850s, founded the First National Bank , created a public transportation system and developed eastern portions of Los Angeles County. TENNIS ACHIEVEMENTS Bell won two medals in Tennis at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis . In the men's singles event he won a bronze medal. He also won a silver medal in the men's doubles tournament, partnering Robert LeRoy . OIL AND REAL ESTATE DEALINGS In the early 1920s, Bell entered the oil business with his father, establishing the Bell Petroleum Co. He used his initial profits to develop tony real estate communities in West Los Angeles, including parts of Westwood , Beverly Hills , and Pacific Palisades . He became a visionary real estate developer, anticipating the influx of Hollywood elite and other wealthy residents who would be lured by the burgeoning film industry. In 1922, building on over 600 acres that he had acquired, Bell founded Bel-Air Estates as an exclusive and upscale neighborhood, enhancing the surrounding area with lush vegetation, new roads, utilities, and a world-class country club. Bell’s son, Alphonzo E. Bell, Jr. , later became one of California's most popular Congressmen. |
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