In memoriam: Morton La Kretz, 100, alumnus, environmental champion and lifelong supporter of UCLA
Morton “Mort” La Kretz, a proud UCLA alumnus and dedicated advocate of environmental causes on and beyond the Westwood campus, died Jan. 31 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 100.
Morton La Kretz was a real estate developer and the founder of Crossroads Management, a property management company that managed a portfolio of industrial, commercial, and residential properties throughout the Los Angeles basin. Crossroads of the World, a historic Hollywood landmark built in 1936, was the best known of these properties. Morton began his career in the early 1950s, first working for contractors before quickly striking out on his own.
Morton’s philanthropic work focused on education, the environment, and conservation. Among the projects of which he was most proud were the La Kretz Innovation Campus at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator; UCLA’s La Kretz Hall, the first building at UCLA to receive accreditation under the LEED Green Building Rating System and home to the Institute of the Environment; the UCLA La Kretz Garden Pavilion; Cal State L.A.’s La Kretz Hall of Sciences; and the La Kretz Watershed Garden at TreePeople headquarters, which provided an environment where children could learn about water conservation.
Morton considered himself a true L.A. native, having lived there virtually all of his life and having spent considerable time getting to know its neighborhoods, architecture, and history. He held a B.A. degree from UCLA.