1924 Was a Great Year for the Crescenta Valley

Local historians have an amusing saying about dating structures in CV: “If you don’t know the real date of when something was built, just say it was built in the early ’20s. Chances are, you’ll be right.” For it’s true – the early ’20s were boom years in the valley. There was a sense of grandeur to the plans of developers. Rather than building tracts of homes, developers then were building towns.

An article in the LA Times from June 1924 outlines the many large developments in the Crescenta Valley taking place at that time, all cradled within the natural beauty of the surrounding mountains. Flintridge was already well-established as a mecca for the rich and other parts of La Cañada, previously known as a largely rural farming town, were beginning to take on the richer hues reflected from the wealth next door. Verdugo City had just been established, its center being at Los Angeles (La Crescenta Avenue) and Honolulu. A business section was being built that would be anchored by a huge brick edifice (Roger’s Pharmacy building, destroyed by the ’71 quake). The town of Highway Highlands had just been established, so named because it sat adjacent to State Highway 118 (today’s Foothill Boulevard). The article states that, “Only three months ago, this area was grown thick in sagebrush. Now 60 homes are to be found there and the developers have installed their own water plant.” The article further states that it was only a half-hour bus ride from here to downtown LA.

Montrose was the biggest story of development. The article said that in 1922 a paltry nine homes existed in Montrose, but within two years 5,000 people now occupied the town. In the business district of Montrose, a new Bank of Montrose (today’s Starbucks) had $300,000 in deposits. A new hotel had just opened (Andersen’s Pets, minus the second floor, shook off in the ’71 quake), and a theater was under construction (the Montrose Theater, destroyed by fire in ’82). The Rinehart Market had just opened (The Black Cow restaurant), and new buildings had just gone up at Honolulu and Montrose (Rocky Cola, Once Upon A Time, and Zeke’s). Money had just been allocated to pave Ocean View Boulevard. The Glendale and Montrose Electric Railway, supplemented with hourly motor stages (buses), ensured continued growth and easy, quick access to LA and Glendale.

Below Montrose, Sparr Heights and Montecito Park had provided miles of high-quality cement roads and sidewalks, and had been zoned for large homes and bungalow courts. Scores of houses ranging in worth as high as $50,000 had just been built, all under the watchful eye of a board of architects who oversaw their plans. A huge community center (Sparr Heights Community Center) had already been erected. Just below Sparr Heights the Oakmont Country Club was developing, to compete with the Flintridge Country Club to the east.

But for the less well-heeled resident, La Crescenta provided a thrifty refuge. New bungalows of four rooms, with hardwood floors and situated on small lots, were being sold in La Crescenta for as little as $1,500, with only $25 down. Three hundred children attended the elementary school, and high-school students were given free transportation to Glendale schools. An American Legion Post had been built, the Woman’s Club was building a $15,000 clubhouse, and a new church was being constructed of mountain stone (St. Luke’s at Rosemont and Foothill). La Crescenta, the article stated, had become a favored community for those with bronchial problems or asthma.

The news article sums up the natural setting of the Crescenta Valley: “To those inspired by the heights, the valleys of La Crescenta and La Cañada are irresistible. The purple Sierra Madres (the old name for the San Gabriels), silent, high and inscrutable, rise majestically along one rim of these valleys, while the green Verdugo Hills border slopes riotously luxuriant in huge oak trees, fruits and flowers on the other. For picturesque settings and glorious beauty, these valleys are unsurpassed…”

Although La Crescenta today is fully developed, I think these sentiments still apply to our beautiful valley.

  mike lawler