BEL AIR—Jerome H. Snyder, the real estate tycoon, died at 90 in his Bel Air home, on Friday, May 8.
The developer was well known in LA for the tens of thousands of condos, offices, and single-unit houses he developed over the course of his career.
The SAG-AFTRA Plaza, the Wilshire Courtyard, the Water Garden in Santa Monica, the Howard Hughe’s Center in West Chester are some of the many famous buildings that he built in LA.
Snyder was born in New York, but he was a longtime resident of LA, having moved to the state in 1944. He got started in the construction business working with his father, who was a carpenter and a contractor.
Snyder attended UCLA for a year, and he and his wife became lifelong patrons of the college, donating money for various projects.
Infused with the entrepreneurial spirit, Snyder deiced to venture out on his own. Equipped with an old truck, he started doing remodeling work, he painted “Snyder & Son” on the side and people took it at face value.
The quality of his work spoke for itself, he soon had consistent jobs, building 2,000 houses a year by the time he hit 22. In 1949 he founded the company LA residents know well, J.H.Snyder Co. In the 1970s the company decided to expand its building prowess and started taking on more commercial projects.
Some of his recent works include the Wilshire Curson residences and 1601 Vine in Hollywood. For all his contributions to the LA landscape, he was inducted into the Business Journal’s Hall of Fame in 2019
Jerry is survived by his wife, Joan, and his children, Wendy, Willian, and Lon.
