Max Meyberg
Values Codes I – H – E – P
Max Meyberg was born in 1850 in Herdecke, Germany, to Joseph and Amalie Meyberg (Seligman).
Max Meyberg immigrated to the United States, living first in New York City and then San Francisco before coming to Los Angeles in 1875.
Max Meyberg, Los Angeles, CA, #WS0967
Los Angeles
Max and his brother Moritz operated a successful crockery and giftware store that they called The Crystal Palace.
The Crystal Palace of Max Meyberg, Downey Block, Los Angeles, 1880, #WS0605
Max Meyberg is best remembered for his creation of La Fiesta de Los Angeles and serving as its general manager, 1894-95.
Max Meyberg promoted the idea to attract tourists to the city at the time of a business recession.
The Festival was held annually for a number of years and is said to have drawn crowds of thousands each time.
La Fiesta de Los Angeles, Vintage Postcard
Of this event he wrote:
“In the work of organizing and presenting this great festival a number of men were brought together, who, from mere speaking acquaintances, became warm friends, and who now feel that they are banded together for a permanent public interest. I was inspired not only by the Mardi Gras in New Orleans but by a ‘midwinter fair’ being held in San Francisco and with the attractions, taken from the World’s Exhibition of Chicago, drawing crowds of people.”
Float in La Festa de Las Angeles, c. 1899
Community
Max Meyberg was an active member of Congregation B’nai B’rith.
Family
Meyberg was married to Emma Hellman, a daughter of early Los Angeles pioneer banker, Isaiah M. Hellman.
Max Meyberg died in Los Angeles in 1934.
Sources
- Gladys Sturman, “Max Meyberg, 1850-1934: Creator of La Fiesta de Los Angeles,” Western States Jewish History 36/3.
- Norton B. Stern, “The Meybergs and the Newmarks,” Western States Jewish History 41/3.
Thank you to Willi Creutzenberg for additional family information.
