La Verne, California

La Verne, California

Friday, December 6, 2013

2111 Bonita Avenue


OneWest Bank, located at the Northeast corner of Bonita Avenue and "D" Street since 2009, occupies an area that has known only two types of businesses since construction of a new service station began on the previously vacant lots in late 1934.
This photo was taken by Joseph B. Bixler in 1930 from the tower of the Church of the Brethren, looking West. This is the intersection of Fourth (now Bonita Avenue)  and "D" Streets.
This ad was part of a New Year's greeting from the Merchants and Business Men of  La Verne that appeared in the La Verne Leader on December 28, 1934. Apparently this was a preview of things to come because the following article appeared in the February 8, 1935 edition of the Leader:


The proprietors of this station were Dwight Shirk and Joe Roynon. Shirk had been the operator of Court Auto Service at 2023 Third Street since 1930 and Joe Roynon was the brother of J. Marion Roynon.

Dwight Shirk operated the station until 1945 when we read this item:




Ben Wells' Christmas greeting appeared in the Leader on Christmas Eve 1948.


This photo of Ben Wells' Service Station was taken by my aunt Eunice Kreps from her back yard at 2130 Fifth Street after a snow storm in January 1949.

Henry Marshall, a retired Standard Oil employee, gets his windshield cleaned by Ben Wells in the early 1950s. The Historical Society acquired this photo from Marshall's great granddaughter.

On January 22, 1953, Del Myer announced in the La Verne Leader that he was assuming the management of La Verne Chevron along with Ted Todd. Del is pictured here in a 1959 ad from the La Verne College Lambda yearbook.

By 1960 Lewis Smith had taken over the station. This is an ad from the 1960 Lambda.
Lewis Smith (R) and his brother Robert breaking down tires in this ad from the 1964 Bonita High School Echoes yearbook.

   I believe that Smith had the station through 1965 when he sold the business to John Johnson. The July 17, 1968 issue of the Leader contained a notice that Johnson was selling the business to Terry Lambert and escrow would close on August 8. I believe that Lambert was the last owner of the business. In a column of the December 24, 1970 issue of the Leader, an announcement was made that the Chevron station was being torn down.
   In the legal notices of the Leader dated December 16, 1971, we find that the La Verne Planning Commission will be considering an application for a Conditional Use Permit, submitted by First Federal Savings and Loan Association of San Gabriel for a relocatable structure to be used as a temporary office. It was to be located at "D" Street and Bonita Avenue, with an address of 2111 Bonita Avenue.
   Dwight Shirk still owned the property until it was sold to the savings and loan.
   Federal Savings and Loan Association of San Gabriel Valley held a House-Warming party at their temporary office March 13 through April 10, 1972.

This photo from the May 11, 1972 issue of the Leader shows the Savings and Loan temporary office at the bottom.

First Federal customers received this letter in May 2000.

The bank became IndyMac Federal Bank in July 2008.

On March 19, 2009 IndyMac Federal Bank became OneWest Bank.


Tuesday, December 3, 2013

2327 "D" Street Returns To Its Roots

   As I have spent time walking around Old Town La Verne the last few years, I have looked for new things that I can relate to the past. I was quite interested when Roots Hair Salon moved into 2327 "D" Street, which had most recently housed a Post Office Substation. My research led me to discover that for most of its existence from 1939 until the present this little building was part of the larger building to the South, numbered 2325.
   However, as early as 1912 the Raley Brothers, Oscar and Leslie, operated a barber shop in the building that was then numbered 323 North "D" Street. They also offered baths, cigars, tobacco, soft drinks and served as a laundry agency. By 1914 Leslie was pursuing ranching but Oscar continued barbering. By 1918 he was joined by Orville Haines, as evidenced by this advertisement from the February 21, 1918 issue of the La Verne Leader:


   Although both Raley and Haines acquired Real Estate licenses in 1920, they both continued barbering until at least 1922 but by 1924 Raley had entered into the Real Estate business with William Leslie and had an office on the East side of "D" Street, in the same block. Haines continued in the same location (the street number was changed to 2327 in 1927 as a result of a major revamping of the numbering system) until 1939 when he had a new building built at 2344 "D" Street, a location that is now occupied by the outdoor dining area of Warehouse Pizza. When Haines moved out, Van Dusen Department and Variety Store, which had been occupying 2325 "D" Street, then expanded into the former barber shop. The two stores became one with the number 2325 and remained so until Roots Hair Salon began occupying 2327 in January of 2012.
   
   Here are some more ads for Haines Barber Shop:

1923 La Verne College Orange Blossom Yearbook

1931 Bonita High School Echoes Yearbook

Oscar Raley's son Wallace graduated from Bonita Union High School with my mother in 1929.
Orville Haines' son Robert (referred to as Bob in the above ad) graduated from Bonita in 1932 and went on to become a teacher and was principal of Roynon Elementary School at the time I attended from 1957 to 1960. Another of Haines' sons, Thomas, was our family dentist for years.

Lordsburg/La Verne Grammar School History 1935

This is a transcription from an article in the La Verne Leader dated Friday, May 17, 1935:

Grammar School History Dates Back to 1886

   Rather authentic information seems to show that the La Verne School has been in existence for 49 years, beginning in 1886. The following people have guided the destinies of our school.
Mr. Sievers, Mr. Ensign, Mr. Holliday, seven years—1886-1893.
Mr. J. C. Storment, three years—1893-1896.
Miss Irene Dudley, one year—1896-1897.
Mr. McIlmoil, six years—1897-1903.
Mr. Linderman, seven years—1903-1910.
Mr. Jenkins, one year—1910-1911.
Mr. C. P. Sparks, fifteen years—1911-1926.
Mr. R. R. Cullen, nine years—1926-1935.
   According to Miss Rose Macias, who was a pupil, the first school in La Verne, then Lordsburg, was opened in 1886. There was one teacher, Mr. Sievers.
   The schoolhouse was a two-roomed building, surrounded by large pepper trees. It was located diagonally across the street from where Mr. Bolling now lives—about where the packinghouse stands.   The following seven years were filled by Mr. Sievers, Mr. Ensign, and Mr. Holliday. Mr. Holliday was assisted by his daughter, Miss Reba, but it is not known if she were a graduate teacher.
   In 1893, Mr. J. C. Storment came to us as principal, with Miss Conklin as primary teacher. Mr. Storment served with much success for three years.
   In 1896 the schoolhouse was totally destroyed by fire and Mr. Storment finished the term in an old building called the Pioneer Hall that stood where the Palomares School is now.
   The 1896-1897 term was taught by Miss Irene Dudley, now Mrs. George Phillips of Pomona, with Miss May Doughty as primary teacher. The term began in the Pioneer Hall, but ended in a new school building standing where the first had stood.
   In 1897, Mr. McIlmoil came to us with Miss Jeffries continuing her work as primary teacher. The next term, 1898-1899, Mrs. L. J. MacDonald came as primary teacher. Mrs. MacDonald was with us for nearly thirty years and greatly endeared herself to the whole town.
   Mr. McIlmoil remained as principal till 1903, when Mr. W. Linderman, now of Pomona, came. Mr. Linderman was with us till 1910, and it was during his administration the schoolhouse was built on “D” street. The next principal was Mr. Jenkins, who was here one term.
    Mr. Jenkins was followed by Mr. C. P. Sparks of Claremont. He was with us fifteen years, 1911-1926.
   In the fall of 1926 there was again a change in administration and the La Verne City Schools. Ray R. Cullen, who had been teaching for one year in La Verne College, in the Education and Sociology departments, took the place of Mr. C. P. Sparks as principal. The school board was also largely new and a number of changes were made in both the teaching force and the buildings. The board consisted of E. R. Blickenstaff, Marcus Garber, and Claude Arnett.
   The roof of the central building was removed with its bell and belfry and a tile roof took its place. Considerable money was spent which brought both praise and criticism. Educational and intelligence tests were used to get the capacity and grade placement of the pupils and some experimental work was done in this regard.
   In the spring of 1927 bonds for $25,000 were voted by the citizens and a new five room steel and tile building was constructed at the corner of “A” and Palomares streets, especially for the Mexican school population. All of the Mexican children were required to go to this school except those in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. According to law, a principal was appointed for each building, and the office of district superintendent was created.
   On the new building $17,000 was expended and the remainder of the bond issue was spent in equipment and rearranging of the rooms of the Lincoln School. An auditorium was extremely necessary and the waste space in the central building of the Lincoln School, including one small classroom, was built into an auditorium with a nice stage and room for 200 people.
   New playground apparatus was purchased and by 1928 La Verne Lincoln School had one of the best equipped playgrounds in the country. The one entire block north of the school buildings was put in turf, which added greatly to the cleanliness and utility of the playground. At that time also the school office was moved from a small dark room in one wing of the Lincoln School and put on the upper floor of the central building. The contractors, Will Moomaw and John Hunter, and various citizens cooperated so thoroughly and gave much time to the school in making the rooms as convenient and beautiful as possible.
   In 1928 a cafeteria was arranged with a kitchen in the cooking room of the domestic science department, and the large classroom was built into a dining room. New members of the board took the place of Garber and Arnett. They were Perry A. Yoder and O. L. Marshall. The board members were all enthusiastic about the psychological effect of interior decorating in the classrooms and endorsed a very “up-to-date” program of such decorating.
   In 1927 La Verne College asked the board for permission to put cadet teachers in the La Verne School. This practice has continued since that time, and for a number of years the district superintendent of schools was connected with La Verne College and acted as director of teacher training.
   Mrs. Anna R. Strayer was elected to the board in 1932. Prof. Jesse Brandt was elected in 1933 and Mr. Carl Ohler was appointed in 1933 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Mr. Yoder, and those three members have continued in office until the present time. Mrs. Strayer succeeded herself in the board election this spring.
   The school enrollment has increased continuously until the average daily attendance for 1933-1934 totaled 525. The average daily attendance for the present school year will be decreased somewhat. La Verne Schools have been run on a very conservative platform as far as expenditures are concerned, but a progressive program as far as educational ideas are concerned. The district has a low assessed valuation in comparison with the enrollment. In 1933-34 the cost per school child was below $63. The classes have been large and although the achievement is high, it is often hard on both pupils and teachers. At the present time, for the English-speaking children, a very complete battery of tests is given to each child above the first grade. The testing program consists of intelligence tests and from 3 to 5 achievement tests per year to get the exact achievement of the child in each school subject. These tests are also diagnostic, and each teacher can find the particular weakness of each child and give special attention to those deficiencies as much as time will permit in the large classes.
   Within the past year and a half, the S. E. R. A. has contributed around $12,000 in labor to the La Verne Schools. This has been on the playground and also decorating all of the buildings inside and out. The total cost to the school for this entire project was less than $3,000. The school board is to be congratulated that they have made the effort to use this gift of the government to such good advantage.

The following pictures help to illustrate the foregoing article and bring the reader up to date:

This portion of a current copy of Los Angeles County Assessor's Map 8377-028 shows the location of the original Lordsburg "School Lot" on the East side of "G" Street, North of what was then Palomares Avenue (now Arrow Highway). The property is now part of Paper Pak Industries.
Lordsburg Grammar School, built about 1908 on the Northeast corner of "D" and Sixth Streets, became La Verne Grammar School when the city name was changed in 1917.


The Sloyd or Wood Shop building was located behind the main school building (previous photo). In 1952 it was sold to the La Verne Methodist Church and is now part of the House of Praise at the Southwest corner of Third and "F" Streets.

This architect's drawing depicts the proposed changes to the main building and the addition of North and South wings of classrooms in 1922.

The school after the changes were made.

A 1930 photo taken from the tower of the nearly completed Church of the Brethren by Joseph B. Bixler. Lincoln School is shown in the center.

Palomares School, located at the Southwest corner of Palomares and "A" Streets, is shown at the bottom of this 1952 photo. The L-shaped building was built in 1927 and the straight building below it was added in 1937. Even though the school opened in the Fall of 1927, it was not named until the Summer of 1928. Nor was the "D" Street school named Lincoln until that time, the two schools being referred to as Unit No. 1 and Unit No. 2 of the City Grammar School.

Segregation of the elementary schools ended in 1947 and this article from the La Verne Leader dated August 22, 1947 reports on which students will attend which campus and how they will get there. All children of the La Verne City School District in Kindergarten and grades one and two will attend Palomares School. Those in grades three through eight are to attend Lincoln School. Details of registration and bus routes are also given.
As things often go--even to this day--the bus had not arrived on time. But it was on its way and the Bonita Union High School District had graciously been covering the situation as was reported in this December 19, 1947 Leader article.
This November 26, 1948 Leader article tells of the anticipated construction of the new primary school on the North side of Eighth Street at "E" Street. This school replaced Palomares School which then became a recreation center and the location for other activities.
This article appeared in the La Verne Leader on Friday, February 9, 1950.

The new Lincoln School was built on "E" Street in 1951, behind the old Lincoln School, between Sixth and Eighth Streets. It was later named J. Marion Roynon School on April 9, 1957. This photo was taken August 25, 2009.


This plaque, mounted outside the Roynon School office, gives a very concise history of the school.

Monday, December 2, 2013

The La Verne "L"

   During my years as a bus driver for Bonita Unified School District I enjoyed pointing out various landmarks and relating some historical background. I knew that most of the time this fell on deaf ears but some of the kids had a genuine interest.
   One of my favorite objects was the "L" on a hill North of La Verne that can be seen from a wide variety of locations in the valley. If the snow elevation has dropped and the clouds have lifted, the large letter is especially visable.
   This letter was fashioned out of the hillside by La Verne College students in the Spring of 1919 and for many years was maintained by students making an annual trek to clear the brush off of its surface. Here is a copy of the article from the 1919 La Verne College Orange Blossom yearbook telling of the adventures of the students who laid out this symbol that has rested in the foothills for almost 95 years. Below that is a photo I took from my home on Arrow Highway on January 26, 2008:



The Bobeteria Grocery Store

   This post is about a new grocery store that opened in La Verne on March 29, 1924. The Bobeteria was the brainchild of T. H. (Bob) Williams, who had been in business for himself as a grocer in La Verne since 1913. He operated Bob's Grocery on the West side of what is now the 2300 block of "D" Street, one door North of the First National Bank, which was located on the Northwest corner of 3rd Street. He decided to give his customers a new option so he opened a self-serve store next door to the North in a building that formerly housed a bakery, now (December 2, 2013) the site of House of Wings Sports Bar. He could offer lower prices because he required fewer staff, gave no credit and provided no delivery service. Both businesses did well and customers could choose between the two stores depending on their needs and circumstances.
   Bob transferred some of his staff to the the new store, including Otis M. Welch, who served as manager. Otis was married to my grandmother's sister, Myra (Brooks) Welch.

This article from the La Verne Leader dated March 27, 1924, announces the opening of the Bobeteria.

Photo of the Bobeteria taken between 1927 and 1932.