Stella Hammerstein Stella Hammerstein Stella Hammerstein was an American actress. She was sometimes billed as Stella Steele. Hammerstein was the daughter of Oscar Hammerstein I and Malvina Jacobi Hammerstein, both of whom initially opposed her going into show business as a profession. In 1908, she told a "New York Times" reporter of her father's reaction when, at age 20, she told him that she was going into musical comedy: "Papa without more ado piled me over his knee and applied the hairbrush vigorously." Eventually he accepted her desire to be an actress. In 1902, Hammerstein joined the stock theater company headed by
Hammerstein House Hollywood Historical Society in honor of his late wife Vera Hammerstein. It was his wish that the home be operated as a museum and he contributed many artifacts of his life which form much of the display there. Items on display include Hammerstein's WWI Air Force uniform. The ashes of the home's owners Clarence and Vera Hammerstein reside at the house in two large urns. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 15, 2005. The home is operated as a historic house museum by the Hollywood Historical Society and contains artifacts of the Hammerstein's life.