The information presented below was provided to the project team by members of the community. The project team reviewed and researched each submission, the results of which were represented in the context statement and provided to the City.
403 S. Garfield Avenue/T.J. Stuart
This Victorian house, constructed c. 1888, belonged to Thomas J. Stuart (1839-1909), who may have been one of the early City boosters. The house may be one of the three original (still standing) Victorian houses in Alhambra. A few others located nearby were moved; this one is on its original location. William Thrall, a naturalist who did much for the San Gabriel Mountains, may also have lived in this house.
The 1920 U.S. Census shows that 403 S. Garfield was used as multi-family housing. The Assessor’s office now shows three structures on the property. Flanked on either side by a grove of trees, the oldest building possibly dates from 1918, though it may be older than that based on its Victorian architectural features. A one-room sleeping porch was added in 1927. Also on the lot are two other units, both built in 1941.
502 N. Story Place
This Victorian style residence was built in the 1890s. It was used in a film in the 1970s, and has been updated and remodeled.
1920s Housing Tracts
The Mayfair Tract, Emery Park Tract, and Orange Blossom Manor Tract contain homes built in the 1920s in a wide variety of architectural styles - from Spanish Colonial Revival to English Tudor Revival to English Colonial Revival and more.
Alhambra Library
Housed in a Quonset hut at Garfield near Elgin (1969-mid 1970s), and at Main Street near 2nd Street (mid 1970s-c. 1990s). The library may also have been housed in a former grocery store on Garfield just north of Main Street.
Artist’s Alley
Located on Champion Place just north of Main Street, Artist’s Alley (also called the Artist Colony) was a gathering place for artists at the turn of the 20th century. Notable artists who came out to Alhambra and lived and created art on Champion Place included Norman Rockwell, Clyde Forsythe, Eli Harvey, and others. Rockwell’s art studio was above the garage at the home of Clyde Forsythe - the Orange Blossom Manor - located North Almansor Avenue.
Crawford’s Corner
Crawford’s Corner has one-of-a-kind mid-century architecture that features a western boomtown theme. Its original sign was recently removed. Stores in the shopping center included Crawford Market, Carol’s Fabrics, and Newberry’s.
Dolgeville Worker Housing
There may be a row of small worker houses on the east side Fremont between Commonwealth and Poplar Streets.
Filming Locations in Alhambra
A backyard scene in Father of the Bride (1990) was filmed at 500 N. Almansor Avenue. Elizabeth Taylor and Mickey Rooney filmed scenes from National Velvet (1944) at the Midwick Country Club’s barn and fields. Denzel Washington filmed a scene from The Little Things (2020) at Bun N Burger.
Hoxsey Family
Tristram P. Hoxsey and his father, William Hoxsie, were some of the earliest settlers in Alhambra.
It Only Takes One
It Only Takes One is the memoir of a World War II veteran who attended Marguerita Elementary and graduated from Alhambra High school. He was raised in Alhambra and even helped built his family home before the war, on Edith Ave and Shorb. He retired as a Fire Captain from the Alhambra Fire Department in the 1980s.
Judson Studios (805 N. Electric Ave/919 N. Marguerita Ave)
The Judson Stained Glass Studios, established 1897, is the oldest stained glass studio in America. In 1917, Paul and Blanche Judson lived at 805 N. Electric Avenue, and Walter and Mable Judson lived at 919 N. Marguerita Avenue. One of the homes has an original stained glass window (likely in the dining room at 919 N. Marguerita Avenue) designed and created by the Judson studios.
Lindaraxa Park
The Lindaraxa Park neighborhood is within the original Alhambra addition tracts. It had been known by various names: Boabdil Blvd tract, Dixie tract, Granada tract, Orange Blossom Manor tract, Orienta Ranch, Story Park, Tres Robles tract, Court Lindaraja, and now Lindaraxa Park. The Alhambra Construction Co. began work on this subdivision in 1912. There are pillars at each end of the entrance to the neighborhood, a hedge with lampposts in the center, and open green space. Lindaraxa Park was also home to Francis Q. Story (502 N. Story Place), who played a huge part in the success of California’s fledgling citrus industry by creating the Sunkist brand of oranges; Mrs. Story was key in establishing Alhambra’s first library. Norman Rockwell maintained a studio above a garage located on N. Almansor in the Lindaraxa tract.
Mark Keppel High School
Mark Keppel High School is a Streamline Moderne school designed by noteworthy architect Sylvanus Marston with murals created by renowned muralist Millard Sheets. The school was built in the mid- to late-1930s as part of the WPA.
Midwick Country Club/Midwick Tract
This area was a fancy country club and golf course for Los Angeles’ wealthy and movie stars from the 1920s through the 1930s. The areas included a polo ground as well.
Neon Signs
Three “Alhambra” neon signs (Huntington Blvd at the western boundary; Valley Blvd at the western boundary; Main Street at the eastern boundary) and businesses (Bun N Burger, The Hat, and Twoheys ). Neon signs were an important way of advertising that was popular in the mid-20th century.
Pacific Electric Rail System
The Pacific Electric Rail system influenced the development of residential and commercial areas between 1900 and 1925.
Pedestrian Tunnel
A pedestrian tunnel that was original built in the 1930s (?) is currently covered and inaccessible to pedestrians. The tunnel is located on the east side of 6th Street and goes under Valley Blvd. This tunnel has been covered and inaccessible for decades. It may have been original built when Ramona Elementary School was built in the early 1930s, or may have been put in when the Mayfair housing tract was built in the late 1920s.
Pedrini’s Music Store
Cultural resource for all types of music. The Pedrini family had been at this location for over 60 years and has contributed to the cultural development of many via music.
Ramona Park Building Company, Ramona Park
John and Daniel Althouse were principals of the Ramona Park Building Company, which built several Arts and Crafts style homes in the Ramona Park area (bounded by S. 6th Street on the west, Garfield Blvd on the east, Valley Blvd on the north, and Interstate 10 on the south). A cluster of their built homes can be found on S. 2nd Street between Norwood and Glendon Way. Additional homes can be found on S. 3rd and at 1808 S. 6th Street. The Althouse brothers were contemporaries of Greene and Greene, and the four collaborated on at least one home in South Pasadena on Milan Avenue.
Rose Hills Alhambra Mortuary
The stone mortuary chapel, built in 1942 at 550 E. Main St., was originally the Turner & Stevens Mortuary and is currently the Rose Hills Alhambra mortuary. On April 14, 1949, hundreds of mourners gathered here to pay their respects to Kathy Fiscus, who at age 3 had died after falling into an abandoned well in San Marino.
The three-day effort to rescue Kathy Fiscus attracted worldwide attention and was a major event in the history of television. Prior to this time, TV newscasts rarely exceeded 15 minutes in length and usually featured only a talking face. There were only about 20,000 TV sets in the LA area at the time, but KTTV and KTLA rushed early camera crews to the site of the rescue effort and KTLA alone broadcast live from the scene 27 hours and 30 minutes of the 55 hour rescue effort -- causing crowds to gather wherever television sets were available in department store windows or bars where they had been set up for sporting events. People looked for any house that had an antenna to find where to watch. TV new was changed forever by this event.
The building has remained largely unaltered since its construction. There are also several large trees on the site.
Scripps Kensington (1518 Marengo Avenue)
Chapel designed by a famous architect. Seniors gave up their property and net worth to the Church, and in return the Church promised to take care of them and provided them a serene place to retire.
St. Therese Church
Art Deco/Zigzag Moderne Catholic church designed by J. Earl Trudeau (1908-1990), architect, and constructed in the 1940s.
The Diner on Main
Located at 201 W. Main Street, this is an example of 1940s-1950s Googie-type diner architecture.
Tom’s Uniforms
Originally Tom’s Boys & Mens Wear, Tom’s Uniforms was founded at E. Main Street and Chapel by the Shulman family in the 1950s, and remained in the family through the 1980s.
Twoheys
Located at Garfield and Huntington, this Googie-type restaurant is significant for its 1940s-1950s diner architecture.
Vans
The Vans retail store (420 S. Garfield Ave.), is the oldest long-standing Vans retail store in Southern California. Founded in Anaheim, California in 1966, Vans is an iconic Southern California footwear and action sports brand . Vans has occupied this building since 1967–68. This was one of several early Vans stores established in Los Angeles County in the late 1960s; there are no other early retail store locations owned and operated by the brand today in Los Angeles or Orange County.
Victorian Homes
Alhambra features many Victorian homes that are still standing, some of Alhambra’s oldest architecture. The homes are located throughout Alhambra - from the city’s center to North Granada to a few in the southwest corner of Alhambra, near Granada Park. There is a cluster of Victorian homes on Beacon Street just east of Garfield Blvd.
Banner photo: Halsted Family Home, c. 1890s
Source: Huntington Library