November 14, 2018

A few weeks ago, fellow commenter NotMax commented about Glendale’s Brand. Well, the man known as the Father of Glendale was indeed named Leslie Coombs Brand. Leslie Brand was a real estate investor and speculator who owned most of the land that would become central Glendale and convinced his friend Henry Huntington(yeah The Huntington Library and Gardens guy) to run a Red Car line up to Brand’s development, Glendale. Mr. Brand built a large mansion, designed by his brother-in-law) on the southern slope of the Verdugo Hills and named it El Miradero. Upon his passing in 1925, Brand willed the house to the City of Glendale as a library and art center after his wife had passed. Mrs. Brand passed in 1945 and the Brand Library and Art Center opened in 1956. The property surround the home was also willed to the city as a park. In addition to El Miradero the park is also home to The Doctor’s House(a Victorian moved from central Glendale) and a Japanese Garden. About a quarter mile up the canyon behind the house is the final resting place of the Brands and some of their pets in a family cemetery.