menu icon in the top, right corner of the screen.
icon above to close this box.
icon at the bottom of the screen below the browser—if you don't see it, swipe up to unhide it.
Title History of the Los Angeles Temple Site
Richard O. Cowan, "Title History of the Los Angeles Temple Site" in A Beacon on A Hill: The Los Angeles Temple (Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2018), 289–290.
1542 Area is claimed in the name of Charles I, King of Spain.
1821 Mexico gains independence from Spain.
1843 Governor Manuel Michelgorena grants Rancho San Jose de Buenos Aires to Maximo Alanis.
1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo makes California part of the United States.
1850 California becomes a state September 9, 1850.
1851 Heirs sell rancho to Wilson W. Jones, who sells a half interest to William T. B. Sanford on November 1 for less than $.37 per acre.
1852 Jones sells his half interest to Ben D. Wilson (January 7).
1858 Wilson buys other half from Sanford (July 23).
1859 (November 26) Wilson sells half interest to Cyrus Sanford.
1861 Samuel K. Holman buys whole rancho from Wilson and Sanford for $3,500 (June).
1876 United States government confirms title to the rancho (July 25).
1884 Rancho sells to John Wolfskill for $40,000 (February 23).
1913 Property is transferred to heirs following Wolfskill’s death (December 14).
1919 Part of the rancho where the temple would be located is sold to Arthur Letts. Even before this sale is final, Letts sells the property (November 14) to Los Angeles Trust and Savings Bank, whose name was changed to Pacific Southwest Trust and Savings Bank.
1923 Property is sold to Holmby Corp. Nine days later Holmby sells this property plus a parcel from the Janss Investment Company to the Harold Lloyd Corp. for $130,000 (November 15).
1937 Harold Lloyd Corp. sells 24.23 acres to the Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for $175,000 (March 23).
