Bolton Hall – The Center of Tujunga History

Tujunga, our immediate neighbor to the west, has a dynamic history. And just like the Crescenta Valley, a theme of the Tujunga Valley’s history and architecture revolves around rocks. No structure in Tujunga reflects that dynamic history, and its emphasis on rocks, better than Bolton Hall.

The history of Bolton Hall begins with the intriguing story of a failed utopian community called “Little Lands.” Just before WWI the upper eastern end of the Tujunga Valley, what was then called Glorietta Heights, was targeted for a utopian community by visionary developer William Hartranft. His idea was based on several utopian communities in which families settled on an acre or two of irrigated land, the theory being that they could grow all they needed and live in harmony. The Tujunga Valley even had the advantage of free building material: rocks. All people needed were a sack of cement and a trowel to build their new home, the settlers were told. The families were called “Little Landers.”

So in 1913, the Little Lands community began. Hartranft donated land and money for a community building made out of local stone. A local craftsman, an artist really, named George Harris designed and built the imposing stone structure. It featured arched windows and doors, a tile roof and a tall bell tower. Inside was a massive stone fireplace with a log for a mantle.

It was named Bolton Hall as a sort of pun. You’d think it was named after someone in the community with the last name of “Bolton,” but it’s actually named for a progressive activist named Bolton Hall whose “back to the land” philosophies had inspired Hartranft. But it was indeed the “hall” for the community. Meetings and dances were held there and a public library was established.

However, like most utopian communities, Little Lands didn’t last long. A combination of the economic hardships of WWI and human cynicism doomed the community, and by 1920 Little Lands was gone. The American Legion bought Bolton Hall and used it for a few years. When Tujunga incorporated as a city in 1925, the building was leased as a city hall and Tujunga eventually bought it. It was during this period that it famously became Tujunga’s jail. Tujunga bought two portable cells, cages really, and kept Tujunga miscreants in them.

In 1932, the City of LA took over Tujunga via a shady election. The City also took over Bolton Hall, installing a couple of Los Angeles City offices there. When WWII came Bolton Hall was conscripted as a storage facility for 25,000 survival kits to be handed out if LA was evacuated.

In 1957, the City of LA abandoned Bolton Hall entirely and the doors and windows were boarded up. That began a 20-year fight to save the hall. Initially the City of LA intended to demolish the building and even had a demo permit issued. In opposition, the Little Landers Historical Society was formed. The group began a series of blocking or delaying tactics. It got the state to weigh in declaring it a state historic monument. It got listed on the City of LA’s historic register. All through the 1960s, the City was continually blocked by the Little Landers group and other local civic groups in its demolition plans.

By 1972 the city was beginning to wear down and Los Angeles granted permission for the local groups to begin studying the architectural feasibility of restoring the hall for public use. That began a fundraising drive to pay for the studies, and federal grants were secured.

In 1976 the city gave permission for the restoration to begin and in 1980 work started. In only one year, 1981, the truly home-grown Bolton Hall Museum opened, a testament to the power of a determined community.

Today the museum is a repository for Sunland-Tujunga historical artifacts and photos, as well as a meeting place for the Little Landers Historical Society’s monthly meetings. It is open on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and its exhibits are worth checking out. Go visit Bolton Hall at 10110 Commerce Ave., two blocks north of Foothill Boulevard.