Today, the OGs bring you a rare glimpse inside one of the most beautiful unknown buildings in Los Angeles, the 1908 Chapel erected in honor of young John Edward Hollenbeck, Jr. (1854-1857) by his mother, the philanthropist Elizabeth Hollenbeck.

The Hollenbecks made their fortune in Nicaragua, and sought to protect their only son from the rigors of jungle life by sending him to live with his paternal grandparents in Pecatonica, Illinois. But the child was stricken with diphtheria there, and died, aged two and a half. Mail between the US and Central America was poor, and it was not until the Hollenbecks arrived in New York on their way to see their son that they learned the news of his death.

In a letter written 1876, Elizabeth Hollenbeck told a friend "Many years have passed since we were called upon to hear the painful loss of our boy and there has been an aching void in my heart ever since."

In 1908, when her son would have been 54, Elizabeth Hollenbeck dedicated a non-denominational chapel in the neo-classical style, decorated with cherubs, stained glass and fluted columns, to the memory of her child. This miniature gem is the last surviving historic structure on the grounds of Hollenbeck Palms, the home for the elderly founded by Mrs. Hollenbeck in 1890 on the land surrounding her residence.

Like Stanford University, founded by the grieving parents of Leland Stanford Junior, the Hollenbeck Home was an expression of the charitable instincts that bloomed in the heart of a wealthy soul who was denied the chance to see her son mature into manhood. Thousands of old folks have been the better for her gracious gifts, among them the OGs.

The Hollenbeck Chapel is today the site of lectures, spiritual gatherings and an annual citywide senior citizen's Spelling Bee which Hollenbeck Palms' residents have won for two years running.

To see the full set of photographs of the Chapel, please click here.