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Fritz Bernard Burns (1899-1979) born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was a powerful real estate developer in Southern California. He was involved in the development of Westchester, Playa del Rey, Windsor Hills, Panorama City, parts of North Hollywood and other areas. Burns was President of the Home Builders Association of Los Angeles in 1942 and of the National Association of Home Builders in 1945.
James Keane has authored the definitive biography of Fritz Burns: Fritz B. Burns and the development of Los Angeles: the biography of a community developer and philanthropist . Los Angeles: Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount University; Historical Society of Southern California, 2001. Keane greatly based his work on the sources found in the Fritz Burns Papers. Other materials that Keane used for the biography are found in the following CSLA collection: James Keane Collection of Fritz Burns Biographical Materials. CSLA-24.
There is also an on-line exhibit exploring Fritz Burns's role in the development of the Palisades del Rey: " Fritz Burns and Palisades Rey."
The Research Collection has two separate but related Fritz Burns collections:
Fritz Burns Papers, 1899-ca.1980
Collection Number CSLA-4
Accession Number 1996.16
The bulk of this collection dates from the 1920s-1950s. Much of the material pertains to Burns' early career and his involvement in the development of Palisades Del Rey (now part of Marina del Rey). There are also notes for talks that Fritz Burns and his partner F. W. Marlow gave at morning sales meetings (1941-1942); newspaper clippings about public housing, and photographs of Burns and others and some of his projects.
There are some especially interesting photographs of the Palisades del Rey development in the 1920s. At this time Fritz Burns worked for Dickinson & Gillespie, a development company based in Minneapolis.
Fritz Burns Papers, 1939-1973
Collection Number CSLA-2
Accession Number 1996.26
ca. 21.5 linear feet
The Fritz B. Burns Foundation donated this collection to LMU in 1996. The collection contains business files from Fritz Burns' association with Fred W. Marlow. There is also biograpical information about Burns and photographs of Burns, his wife Gladys, son F. Patrick, and others. Many photographs show Hawaiian hotels in which Burns had a business interest.
See the online exhibit: "Fritz B. Burns & Palisades del Rey"
The Research Collection is a program of the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles. To consult the Fritz Burns holdings on-site, please call Loyola Marymount University's Department of Archives and Special Collections at 310-338-2780 or 310-338-7478.
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