William H. Workman - Boyle Heights

Boyle Heights

Workman inherited valuable and productive vineyards and orchards from his father-in-law, Andrew A. Boyle. After Andrew Boyle's death, Workman decided, during the first development boom of the city, which took place from 1868 to 1875, to subdivide much of Paredon Blanco and create the community of Boyle Heights. In spring 1875, the announcement was made publicly, but the collapse of the local economy the following year stunted the growth of Boyle Heights until a new development boom in the late 1880s. By the end of the Nineteenth Century, Boyle Heights was a premier residential area of town. Later, it developed into one of the city's most diverse communities and was home to a unique mix of Latinos, Jews, Molokan Russians, Italians, Japanese and other ethnic and religious groups. After the 1950s, the neighborhood became primarily Latino and especially attracted new migrants from Mexico and Central America. The recent opening of the extension of the Metro Gold Line has been welcomed by both optimism for a renewal of the aging community and concern about the loss of its Latino identity through gentrification.

In between and after political office-holding, Workman maintained a successful real estate office for many years, was president of the American Savings Bank, and continued to work until his death.

William H. Workman died at age 79 of heart failure at his home in Boyle Heights. He is interred in Evergreen Cemetery. His son, Boyle, who was his father's assistant during the mayoral and treasurer terms, was a multi-term city councilman from 1919 and 1927 and served as president of that body. Boyle's memoir, "The City That Grew," was published in 1935 and is still read for its tales of family and regional history.