The Prose of Preservation

Alhambra is one of the most architecturally diverse cities in Los Angeles County. From elegant Victorian homes to classic Mid-Century Modern houses, from a hilltop castle built by a Frenchman to a rustic log cabin built by Boy Scouts, Alhambra boasts more than 25 different architectural genres and sub-genres in a mere eight square miles.

Meet Alhambra’s oldest residences – its Victorian homes. Many are familiar with the white Queen Anne Victorian home located at 403 South Garfield and recognize it because of its location on a major thoroughfare and Alhambra Preservation Group’s work to save this local landmark. But did you know that Alhambra has a dozen other Victorian homes throughout the city? Read on to learn more about Alhambra’s grand old Victorian’s.

403 South Garfield – Easily Alhambra’s most recognizable Victorian home, this three-story Queen Anne Victorian home has stood at 403 South Garfield since the mid-1880s and was home to multiple families before it was even 50 years old. This house was home to the owner of a printing company, a teamster, a salesman and served as a boarding house called The Garfield during the 1920s. Listed in the 1984 Alhambra Historic Resources Survey, this home would qualify as local landmark status. A little known fact is that famed San Gabriel Mountains conservationist and hiker Will Thrall lived across the street from this home at 400 South Garfield during the early 20th century.

200, 204 and 208 Beacon Street – If you travel east on Beacon street from the Queen Anne Victorian home at 403 South Garfield, you’ll discover a trio of Victorian homes on the south side of the street. Brightly painted like Easter eggs, these Victorian homes are listed in Alhambra’s 1984 Historical Resources Survey as qualifying as a historic district. The two-story blue Queen Anne home located at 200 Beacon Street is especially significant to Alhambra’s history as it was the original home of Claude Adams – the son of George Adams, one of Alhambra’s earliest settlers. This home was originally located at the corner of Chapel Avenue and Main Street. It was moved to its current location on Beacon Street in the early 20^th century.

300 North Granada Avenue – This was the home of one of Alhambra’s founding fathers – James DeBarth Shorb – and his large family. James DeBarth Shorb’s wife was Maria, the eldest daughter of Alhambra’s founder, Don Benito Wilson. Rumor has it that this home may have been moved in the early 20th century from San Marino to the home’s current location on North Granada. Built in 1888, this house, which was built in the Italianate style, features characteristics that one would find in this Victorian-era architecture. The two-story house is sheathed in shiplap siding and features a truncated roof with bracketed cornices at the eaves line.

502 North Story Place – Francis and Charlotte Story built the home at 502 North Story Place in 1883. Its matching carriage house can be found a few doors down Story Place. Francis Q. Story was among Alhambra’s first leaders and played a huge part in the success of California’s fledgling citrus industry by creating the Sunkist brand of oranges that endures today. Mrs. Story was key in establishing Alhambra’s first library.

If you drive past this house, the first thing you’ll notice is that it faces north. The reason is because when this house was built in the late 1800s, its long, grand driveway began at the corner of present day Almansor Street and Alhambra Road! Mr. Story’s citrus orchards stretched from the arroyo on the east to present day Main Street on the south.

Unfortunately, this home was significantly damaged in a fire in the mid-20^th century and was greatly altered as a result. Today, it sports a more Federalist style than its original exquisite Queen Anne Victorian design. In its glory days, this was one of Alhambra’s finest homes!

1306 West Pine Street – Located in the northwest corner of Alhambra, on the border of South Pasadena, this two-story Foursquare home was built in 1905 and was the original home of Adolph Graffen, an orchardist whose land holdings included the area from this home south to Alhambra Road and east to Atlantic Boulevard. A fun fact is that when Mr. Graffen subdivided his land in the early 20^th century, present-day Marguerita Avenue was named after his daughter, Margie.

117 North Stoneman Avenue – Built in 1886, this Victorian home is located on the corner of present day Stoneman Avenue and Elgin Street. Elgin, Illinois was the birth place of Claude Adams and this may account for the naming of this small street in Alhambra. This was the home of Samuel and Emma Crow in the early 20^th century. The Crows, in partnership with William Drake, owned Crow and Drake Grocers, which was located at 4 East Main Street, catty corner from the Alhambra Hotel. No doubt they did a booming business as “Dealers in Groceries, Hardware, Tinware, Provisions, Fruit, Flour and Feed” as their 1903 advertisement boasted.

2114 and 2118 San Clemente Avenue – Tucked away on the corner of San Clemente Avenue and Date Avenue, just west of Alhambra’s Granada Park is a pair of transitional Victorian homes built in 1905 and 1910 respectively. Transitional Victorians were popular during this time and often included a mix of Victorian and Arts and Crafts characteristics. Built long before the Midwick Country Club was constructed, the owners of these homes were probably two of Alhambra’s earliest farmers or orchardists.

212 South 6th Street – When this farmhouse was built in 1890, it would have been located on the western outskirts of Alhambra. Sixth Street’s former name was Ynez Street, named for James DeBarth Shorb’s second daughter, Ynez. In 1903 the only house listed on South Ynez Street was a home at 202 South Ynez. It was the residence of Charles Bixby, his wife and four children. While we can’t be 100% certain that this is the home, there’s a pretty good chance that this was the original residence of the Bixby family and that its address has simply changed over the years.

These homes are Alhambra’s oldest residences and deserve to be identified, celebrated, preserved and protected. It is time for Alhambra to adopt a comprehensive historic preservation program including a citywide inventory of historic resources as well as a historic preservation ordinance to provide the protection these grand old Victorian homes deserve.

We invite you to take a driving/windshield tour of Alhambra’s Victorian homes. Which one is your favorite? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Photos courtesy of Alhambra Preservation Group.