William H. Hannon Foundation Joins the Founder’s Circle of the Westchester/Playa Historical Society Discovery Center

By : Cozette Vergari

Santa Monica, CA (February 22, 2022): The William H. Hannon Foundation has announced a grant to the Westchester/Playa Historical Society (WPHS). With this grant, the Foundation becomes a member of the Founder’s Circle for the WPHS Discovery Center, located in the Westchester Triangle part of Westchester’s downtown central business district.

The WPHS is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to gather, study, preserve and share the history of the local communities of Westchester, Playa del Rey, and Playa Vista. The WPHS Discovery Center provides themed exhibits that feature over 11,000 documents, images, and artifacts to the public on the history of these communities. The goal is to help preserve and memorialize many of the men and women who helped build and grow the Westchester area.

“We are honored, pleased and greatly appreciative of the generosity of the William H. Hannon Foundation, in support of the Westchester/Playa Historical Society’s mission. This grant will further enable our ability to meet our goals to gather, study, preserve and share the rich history of the Westchester/Playa region,” said Cozette Vergari, President of the WPHS Board. 

The Foundation’s founder, William H. Hannon, is featured prominently in the WPHS Discovery Center for his contributions,  both philanthropic and as a real estate developer, in Westchester and Playa del Rey. Alongside close friend and mentor Fritz B. Burns, Hannon built and sold homes in the area to veterans returning from World War II. Hannon graduated from Loyola University (now Loyola Marymount University) where he served on both the Board of Trustees and Regents. 

“We could not be happier to support the WPHS and their impressive Discovery Center. Westchester is a wonderful community and the center provides not only a home for the documents and stories that built the community, but a place where people can learn about the names behind it,” said William H. Hannon Foundation Board Member and longtime Westchester resident David A. Herbst. “I had the opportunity to work with William Hannon and saw firsthand his support of our local schools and community organizations. He would be very pleased that his foundation is supporting WPHS and the Discovery Center, as this area was very special to him.”

The WPHS Discovery Center is located at 6207 West 87^th Street in Westchester.