Frederick M. Nicholas (born May 30, 1920) is an American lawyer specializing in real estate development and rent. He is known as "Mr. Downtown Culture" for his role in building the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, Geffen Contemporary, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and for the establishment of Public Counsel, the country's largest public interest law firm. Frederick M. Nicholas has combined his legal career with heavy real estate involvement to become an institution builder in the arts in Los Angeles.
Video Frederick M. Nicholas
Biography
Frederick M. Nicholas, a licensed lawyer for the practice of law in the State of California since 1952, is a specialist in the Development and Rental of Real Estate. He is President of The Hapsmith Company, a Real Estate Development Company with a primary interest in Northern and Southern California.
- Private Legal Practice 1962 - 1980
- Swerdlow Law Office, Glikbarg & amp; Nicholas 1956 - 1962
- Loeb & amp; Loeb 1952 - 1956
- University of Southern California Law School J.D. Degree - 1952
- Chicago University School of Law 1950 - 1951
- United Press International Employment Correspondent, Honolulu 1947 - 1949
- University of Southern California A.B. in Journalism - Graduated in 1947
- United States Army Serving October 1941 - November 1946 Rise to Captain
Maps Frederick M. Nicholas
Personal life
Fred Nicholas was born May 30, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York. His father was Ben Nicholas who was the first member of his family born in the United States. Ben is a laundry equipment seller and works for Washine National Sands. Her mother is Rose Nechols, Ben's distant cousin. They married June 15, 1919 in the Bronx, New York. Fred grew up in Brooklyn, New York and Cedarhurst, Long Island. The Nicholas family migrated to Los Angeles in 1934 where Fred attended John Burroughs Junior High, graduating in 1935; Los Angeles High School, graduating in 1938; and USC, graduated in 1947. He married Eleanore Berman, 2 September 1951 (divorced 1963). Children: Deborah, Jan, Tony. Married to Joan Fields, January 2, 1983. Joan has three daughters of her own, Rebecca, Joanna, and Judith. He currently lives in Beverly Hills, California with his wife, Joan.
Wartime
Fred Nicholas was recruited into the US Army on October 9, 1941, when he was in his senior year at USC School of Journalism at the age of 21 years.
He was assigned to Camp Roberts for infantry training, which was disrupted by a declaration of war on December 7, 1941. He was then assigned to a Military Police unit stationed in San Francisco that was ordered to collect and imprison Japanese descendants in a relocation camp located at Tanforan Race Track in San Bruno, California. Fred was a guard at the relocation camp for four months and celebrated his 22nd birthday on guard duty.
Nicholas attended an officers training camp in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia and was promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant on October 9, 1942, one year from the date he was recruited into the Army.
Nicholas spent more than two and a half years overseas, serving in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, South France, and the Philippines. He rose to the rank of captain and served as platoon leader and company commander until his return in February 1946. He was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart Medal.
Journalism
Nicholas graduated from USC School of Journalism in the winter of 1947, and was hired by United Press as a reporter in Hawaii during 1948 and 1949.
He works in Honolulu at the Honolulu Advertiser Building under the protection of the Twigg-Smith Family, the publisher of The Honolulu Advertiser . He became a labor reporter when transportation to and from Hawaii was closed by a strike strike under the leadership of Harry Bridges. Nicholas covered Bridges and Gus Hall, Communist Party chiefs in Honolulu during the strike. He went to law school in Chicago in 1950.
Sports
Fred Nicholas started playing handball when he was nine years old in Brighton Beach, New York. He played handball through junior high, High School, University and Law School. She won the Los Angeles City High School Championships; USC Championships; and the NCAA Championship during his playing years.
Arts
Fred Nicholas was involved in an art quest in 1950 when he became a law student at the University of Chicago. A little spare time spent at the Art Institute of Chicago to explore old and new cultural arts. After graduating from Law School, Nicholas took an art course at UCLA and USC.
During his legal career, Nicholas represented many artists and art galleries including William Brice, Paul Gallery Office, Ernest Raboff Gallery, Margo Leavin Gallery, Frank Perls Gallery, Martin Lowitz Gallery, ACE Gallery, Harry Franklin Gallery and Felix Landau Gallery.
Nicholas began collecting art in the 1950s and purchased contemporary and primitive art from dealers and auction houses across the country. He collected Rauschenberg, Warhol, Stella, Lichtenstein, Reinhardt and many New York School artists as well as Pre-Columbian, African, New Guinea, and American Indian Art.
His interest in art leads him to various institutions in the arts. Nicholas serves the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles as Chairman for Five years, Vice Chair for 4 years and serves as Life Trustee. He was a Superintendent at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, now a Supervisor of Life; The Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, and the Philanthropic Foundation Frederick R. Weisman.
He is the main adviser for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Santa Monica Museum. He placed the site for Contemporary Contemporary MOCA (now The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA) and negotiated a 99-year lease with City of Los Angeles and MOCA. Nicholas hired Frank Gehry as an architect and oversaw the design and construction of the Building. He headed the architectural committee for the development of the MOCA building on Grand Avenue, architect supervised by Arata Isozaki and responsible for a 5-year construction project.
Nicholas served as the first Chairman of the Walt Disney Concert Hall Committee, guiding the development of the building. He created the program and architectural infrastructure for Concert Hall including the selection of architects, Frank Gehry and acoustics, Nagata & amp; Associates. He served as chairman for 8 years.
Museum of Contemporary Art
In 1980, Fred Nicholas was asked by his friend, Max Palevsky, to help him overcome the architectural difficulties he experienced at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Palevsky has promised $ 1,000,000 to MOCA with the understanding that he will lead the Architecture Committee. Palevsky hired the famous Japanese architect Arata Isozaki but was not happy with Isozaki's design. Palevsky feels Nicholas can solve various problems related to MOCA because Nicholas is a lawyer and real estate developer with extensive experience in design and construction.
One of the main issues regarding the design plan is the lack of experience Isozaki works in the United States. Nicholas hired Gruen Associates of Los Angeles, to assist Isozaki in perfecting his design. Palevsky did not approve the final design plan and hired another architect to redesign the building. A dispute arose, and the Supervisory Board voted to approve Isozaki's design. Palevsky resigned from the Museum Board and filed a lawsuit to restore his pledge to MOCA. The court process was completed and Nicholas took over the Chairman of the Architecture Committee. He oversees Isozaki and is responsible for the development and construction of MOCA for five years.
Nicholas negotiates leases between the City of Los Angeles and the Museum on the Grand Avenue site as well as a site for Contemporary Contemporary (TC). On behalf of the Museum, he hired architect Frank Gehry to design TC. Nicholas oversees the entire construction project. Contemporary Contemporary (now contemporary Geffen) is widely regarded as one of the most important museum designs at the end of the 20th century.
With the aim of building a permanent collection for a young museum, Nicholas, together with Museum Director Richard Koshalek and Chairman Eli Broad, negotiated with Count Giuseppe Panza of Varese to obtain Panza Collection for MOCA. The Collection, which includes seminal works by Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Mark Rothko, Franz Kline and James Rosenquist, is considered one of the largest private collections of contemporary art in the world and is the core of MOCA's permanent collection.
Nicholas served as Vice Chairman of MOCA for 4 years and as Chairman for 5 years. He is now the Life Trustee of MOCA.
Sam Francis estate
Sam Francis, a renowned California color artist, died November 4, 1994, and left a myriad of legal attachments lasting almost five years.
The original Francis lawyer was issued by the High Court and Nicholas was named Administrator With Will Installed on Plantations in 1996.
Nicholas negotiated for 2 years with family members and their lawyers before the Global Settlement was reached in 1998 and all claims have been settled.
Plantation assets were evenly distributed among his heirs and the balance of his art inventory was transferred to the Sam Francis Museum, a foundation dedicated to the preservation of Sam Francis artwork and heritage.
During his tenure as administrator of Sam Francis House, Nicholas arranged a comprehensive one-man of Francis show at MOCA. The show went to Reina Sofia in Madrid; Museum of Modern Art in Rome; and Stockholm Contemporary Museum. He placed Francis's works at gallery events throughout the United States, including Ace Gallery, Beverly Hills; Gagosian Gallery, New York; Delaive Gallery, Amsterdam; Art Program at the Embassy, ​​US State Department; Greenberg Van Doren Gallery, New York; Manny Silverman Gallery, Los Angeles; Andrà ©  © Emmerich Gallery, New York; Gemini Gel, Los Angeles; Baukust Galerie, Cologne; Thomas Segal Gallery, Baltimore; Alan Christea Gallery, London; Gallerie Jean Fournier, Paris; Galerie Pro Arta, Zurich; Galerie Kornfeld, Bern; Richard Gray Gallery, Chicago; Jonathan Novak Gallery, Los Angeles; Bobbie Greenfield Gallery, Los Angeles; Leslie Sacks Fine Arts, Los Angeles; Long Art, New York; Gallery Maurice, Massachusetts.
Walt Disney Concert Hall
In the late 1980s, Mrs. Walt Disney gave the Los Angeles Music Center, a $ 50 million prize to build a Concert Hall that honors her husband, Walt Disney in Downtown, Los Angeles.
In 1987, Dan Frost, Chair of the Music Center chose Frederick M. Nicholas to head the Walt Disney Concert Committee Concert and undertake the concert hall development at 1st and Grand Avenue in Los Angeles.
Nicholas was then Chairman of the newly elected Museum of Contemporary Arts and accepted a new position only after securing a guarantee from Mrs.. Disney that he wants a world-class design with great acoustics.
Nicholas and his staff plan a program for the construction of Disney Hall, choosing an architect and acoustics and guiding the design. He spent 8 years in the pro-bono project.
Art Center College of Design
Fred Nicholas has been a member of Art Center College of Design for about 8 years, after joining the Council at the request of Richard Koshalek, his old friend and former Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art where Nicholas serves as the Watchdog of Life.
Nicholas's role in the Art Center is to help develop a recently completed downtown campus and negotiate with Pasadena City for long-term leases at the City's Neighbors Power Station. In addition Nicholas assisted in the development of Student Housing for the city center campus.
Professional
Fred Nicholas's professional career spanning over 5 decades began in 1952 when he was accepted at the California Bar Association.
Nicholas has been practicing Real Estate Law for over 50 years. During that time he was involved in various related activities including the establishment of the Public Adviser, the largest pro-bono law firm in the world; representing Synanon, a former self-help organization of drug addicts; developed many shopping centers and office tower complexes in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles; and activism in the Politics of National and State Democracy.
Legal
In 1952, Fred Nicholas was inaugurated as a California lawyer, and began his legal career at Loeb & Loeb in Los Angeles. He practices law with Loeb & amp; Loeb for 5-1/2 years, and went on to form a law firm with Harry Swerdlow and William Glikbarg. The company, called Swerdlow, Glikbarg & amp; Nicholas, specialized in contract law and antitrust. Nicholas stays in SG & amp; N for 6 years, and then formed his own law firm specializing in real estate law. He remained an active lawyer until 1980 when he became a full time real estate developer. Nicholas still retains his license to practice law in California.
Public Advisor
In 1968, Fred Nicholas was named by Bar Association president Beverly Hills, Chairman of the Future Bar Committee. It was at this point that Ralph Nader was a guest speaker at the Beverly Hills Bar Association lunch and talked about the responsibility of lawyers to the public. He criticized the legal profession for "Not Giving Back".
This message really touched Nicholas and he suggested to his Commitment members that the Beverly Hills Bar Association sponsored pro-bono law firms to provide free legal services to the poor and needy. After two years of arguing, the Beverly Hills Bar Association in 1970 authorized the establishment of a pro-bono law firm on behalf of the Beverly Hills Association Bar Association Foundation. The bar donated $ 5000 to his formation and Fred Nicholas was the first president with Stanley Levy staff as first director and Ann Dominique Snyder as assistant. The young organization survived with a $ 20,000 donation from Nicholas and a small gift from the big Beverly Hills law firm.
After the birth of the Beverly Hills Bar Association Association Law, the most important event in its history was to join in 1975 from the Los Angeles County Bar Association in sponsoring the foundation together and changing its name to Public Counsel.
Currently Public Counsel is the largest pro-bono legal organization in the World, helping more than 25,000 individuals and entities each year. Annual service value is more than $ 45 million.
Nicholas was awarded the Founders Award in 1990 by Public Counsel, and Lloyd C. Cutler Lifetime Achievement Award from the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Act in 2008.
Synanon
Synanon is a self-help community formed by drug addicts, former criminals and former prostitutes in 1959 and led by a former alcoholic named Charles Dederich. Fred Nicholas became pro-bono lawyer Dederich and Synanon in 1960 through Jack Roberts, a close friend of Nicholas.
Nicholas represents Synanon in the myriad legal issues of zoning violations, litigation, and real estate acquisitions for a period of 8 years including the acquisition of Synanon from Del Mar Beach Club in Santa Monica and Synanon ranch in Tomales Bay.
Dederich referred to Nicholas as his "Battery of Attorneys".
Nicholas broke with Synanon when the organization became a militant in 1968.
Three books have been written about the role of Synanon and Nicholas with the Organization, "The Tunnel Back: Synanon" by Lewis Yablonsky (1964); "Synanon" by Guy Endore (1968).; From Miracle to Madness: The Real Stories of Charles Dederich and Synanon (2015) https://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Madness-2nd-Charles-Dederich/dp/0578163055/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8& qid = 1508722156 & amp; sr = 1-2 & amp; keyword = synanon
Real estate
Fred Nicholas started his real estate business in 1956 when he met Maurice O. Smith (Hap Smith) a real estate broker who was involved in a small real estate deal on the west side of Los Angeles.
Hap Smith was referred to Nicholas as a real estate lawyer at Loeb & Loeb. He needs a lawyer to set up an option agreement for real property in Fremont, California. Hap Smith can not pay for legal work and as a result Loeb & Loeb refuses to accept him as a client.
Nicholas and Hap Smith became close friends and Nicholas prepared an option agreement on his free time at no cost. Smith was also unable to raise the down payment for the option agreement and Nicholas raised funds among his family and friends. Hap Smith invited Nicholas to become his partner and they formed a partnership known as The Hapsmith Company in 1956 because Nicholas was practicing law and did not want his name on the partnership.
The first project of Hapsmith Company was the development of a community shopping center in Fremont California with the second Mervyns store ever built as a single tenant and Sears as the others. The center was successful and expanded into phase II. After years of operations, the Center was exchanged for a 50% interest in a twin office complex of the AMFAC office in downtown Honolulu, owned and run by the Hapsmith Company for over 10 years.
Other real estate projects follow quickly; Eastridge Shopping Center in San Jose; Tanforan Park in San Bruno, CA; Montebello Mart, CA; Brea-Imperial Shopping Center, Brea, CA; Norwood Shopping Center in Sacramento, CA; Union Bank Center, Los Angeles, CA; Weberstown Shopping Center in Stockton, CA; Stimson Business Center, Los Angeles, CA; Wilshire Rexford Building, Beverly Hills, CA; SuperMall of the Great Northwest in Auburn, WA; Ronald Reagan Building at Washington D.C. and Culver Center, in Culver City, CA.
Hap Smith died in 1975, and Nicholas formed a company called The Hapsmith Company and continues to develop and own a shopping center, which the company has done since 1956.
Awards
Engagement
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE ATTORNEY COMMITTEES FOR CIVIL RIGHTS UNDER THE LAW, Washington D.C. - Members
FUND FOR THE REPUBLIC AND CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTION - Trustee
PITZER COLLEGE (Claremont) - Wali Amanat
PONDASI ​​â € <â €
MOSQUE LOS ANGELES ART CONTEMPORARY - Former Chairman of the Supervisory Board
LOS ART DUTIES - Members
SPECIAL ADMINISTRATOR FOR ESTATE SAM FRANCIS
FREDERICK R. WEISMAN ART FOUNDATION - Trustee
FREDERICK R. WEISMAN PHILANTHROPIC FOUNDATION - Wali Amanat
WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL COMMITTEE from Music Center - Chairman (until 1996)
MUSIC CENTER Los Angeles County - Governor (until 1996)
DANCE GALLERY, Los Angeles - Trustee (until 1994)
CIVIC CENTER STAND GUIDE for Beverly Hills City - Members (until 1995)
GREYSTONE FOUNDATION for Beverly Hills City - Former Chairman
CALIFORNIA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION - Members
THE CALIFORNIA COUNCIL IN TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION - Previous Members
BUSINESS PROPERTY CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION - Previous Member Board of Directors
COMMITTEE ABOUT JUDICIAL SYSTEMS CALIFORNIA - Los Angeles County Bar Association - Members '83 -'84
AMERICAN ART FEDERATION - Trustee
AMERICAN ART ALLIANCE - Trustee
LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC ASSOCIATION - Wali Amanat (hingga 1996)
ART CENTER COLLEGE OF DESIGN - Wali Amanat dan Wali Amanah
WALLIS ANNENBERG CENTER FOR VISITOR'S ARTS - Trustee
Achievements
Active in many organizations involved in the needs and interests of society:
- FOUNDERS and FIRST PRESIDENT Public Advisers, Public Interest Law Offices of the Los Angeles County Management Association and the Beverly Hills Bar Association. Also serving as Director and Treasurer.
- CHAIRMAN PARTS Shopping Center Real Property Section from Beverly Hills and Los Angeles County Bar Associations
- PRESIDENT The Maple Center - Beverly Hills Community Counseling Center 1979-'97; and Board Members from 1975-'82
- COMMISSIONERS from the California Broadcasting Commission from 1976 to '84; and its CHIRMAN FIRST 1976-'78
- GENERAL COUNSEL for the Beverly Hills Board of Realtors from 1971 to 1979
- THE GOVERNOR BOARD The Beverly Hills Bar Association - serving two periods: 1970-'72 and 1975-'77
Authors various articles and publications about real estate law that includes:
- "REAL COMMERCIAL PROPERTY LOCAL PRACTICE" published by University of California Continuing Education of the Bar (1976): Co-author of Two Volume of Minutes
- "CALIFORNIA LAND SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT" published by University of California Continuing Education of the Bar (1960): Chapter: "Setting Up a Shopping Center"
Awards
- "LOUIS B. FOX AWARD" Beverly Hills Bar Association - 2008
- "LLOYD N. CUTLER LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD" The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, Washington D.C. - 2008
- Listed in "WHO WHO IN AMERICA, WHO WHO IN WORLD, WHO WHO IN AMERICAN LAW" - 2014
- "AFFILIATES OF THE YEAR" American Institute of Architects - 2006
- "L. A. AWARD OF PUBLIC SERVICE" American Institute of Architects - 2006
- "AFFILIATED YEARS" Foundation ACLU - 2005
- "BEGINNING OF AWARD ADVOCACY COURSE" ACLU Foundation - 2005
- "PARKINSON SPIRIT OF URBANISM AWARD" University of Southern California Architectural Guild - 2004
- "AFFILIATES OF THE YEAR" University of Southern California Architectural Guild - 2004.
- "AWARD GROUPS AWAY FROM '52" University of Southern California - 2002
- "CITY OF ANGELS AWARD" The Central City Association of Los Angeles - 1994
- "TRIBUTE AWARD" Los Angeles County Music Center - 1993
- "UCLA DEAN AWARDS AWARDS" UCLA Graduate School of Architecture - 1993
- "TRUSTEES AWARD" The California Institute of Art - 1993
- "FOUNDERS AWARD" Public Counsel - 1990
- "OUTSTANDING FOUNDERS IN PHILANTHROPY AWARD" National Philanthropy Day Committees - 1990
- "CORO FOUNDATION AWARD" Public Service - 1988
- "THE MEDICI AWARD" for The Hapsmith Company, Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce - 1987
- "EXCELLENT SERVICE AWARD" Beverly Hills Bar Association in 1986 and 2004
- "CITIZEN OF THE YEAR" Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce and Community Associations- 1983
- "HONORARY AFFILIATE MEMBER FOR LIFE AWARD" Beverly Hills Board of Realtors - 1980
- "CITIZEN OF THE YEAR" Beverly Hills Council Realtors - 1978
- "DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD" Beverly Hills Bar Association in 1974 and 1981
- "AFFILIATES OF THE YEAR" Beverly Hills Board of Realtors in 1971 and 1974.
- "THE MEDICI AWARD" Chamber of Commerce Los Angeles -1970 for "Extraordinary Individual Commitment to Art in Los Angeles and the Nation"
References
External links
- The Frederick M. Nicholas Archive
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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