Garvanza

Charles J. Fisher

• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Year: 2010
• ISBN:
  9781439625231
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

Named for the garbanzo bean that Julio Verdugo raised on his Rancho San Rafael, the town of Garvanza was laid out by Ralph Rogers in 1886. The community soon became a haven for artists and others seeking a refuge from the growing urban life of Los Angeles. Early institutions included the Church of the Angels and the Judson Studios, founded by painter William Lees Judson to create art through stained glass. The towns identity was eventually overtaken by neighboring Highland Park, but the community name was reestablished in the 1990s by todays residents, who are as in love with its beauty as those 110 years earlier.

Four

THE TOWN MATURES

The dawn of the 20th century found Garvanza well established as a suburb of Los Angeles. The citizens of Garvanza were proud of their town in spite of its short history. An electric commuter rail had opened in 1895. There were, however, issues that still had to be dealt with.

One of the problems was a network of streets that had yet to be paved. Whenever it rained, these roads became a massive quagmire, and neither man nor horse was safe from falling into holes. The community petitioned the city to pave its streets. In 1903, curbs, gutters, and sidewalks were installed at the cost of Garvanza’s street tree canopy.

The Garvanza Improvement Association was incorporated the following year to see to it that the improvements were carried out in a proper and timely manner. The first order of business was to plant new street trees and to purchase a watering cart. The organization was also formed to keep Garvanza from being absorbed by neighboring Highland Park

The little town had been growing steadily since the mid-1890s, and this growth was to continue in a steady manner until the onset of the Great Depression slowed it to a trickle. The original Garvanza schoolhouse was outgrown and replaced by 1910, only to be replaced again a little over a decade later as the area’s population continued to grow.

Garvanza had become a desirable home for artists and architects, with many large, custom homes and fashionable citizens. However, as the years went by, Garvanza’s loss of identity remained on the horizon, especially after the creation of the Greater Highland Park Association in 1922, which sought to unite the areas’ clout for city services and political capital.

GARVANZA IN 1902. A new panorama from Santa Fe Hill shows considerable growth beyond the 1887 views on page 21. The main buildings from that photograph are still there. The Garvanza Villa Hotel now has a white paint job, the Andrew Glassell Jr. residence has its second story, and the little Victorian house is still on the bluff. Miller’s Hall can also be seen. Also visible are the USC art school and William Lee Judson’s own home, with its tower, is on the right. The Garvanza School can also be seen above and to the right of the hotel. The Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad Bridge is behind the one for the Pacific Electric line, just to the right of Judson’s house. (Both, Virginia Neely collection.)

DR. JOHN LAURENCE SMITH RESIDENCE. Dr. Smith, who had become the second physician to live in Garvanza, had this 1887 house built at what is now Avenue 63 and Garvanza Avenue. Dr. Smith was one of the most vocal activists for street improvements in Garvanza and was the first president of the Garvanza Improvement Association. (Photograph by the author.)

COLONNADE AT DR. SMITH’S HOUSE. The Smith house was one of the earliest of the grand houses of Garvanza, boasting an elegant garden as part of its charm. Years later, a guesthouse was also added to the site. This colonnade, now somewhat overgrown, denotes the high caliber of the design. (Photograph by the author.)

A COUNTRY ROAD. One of the draws for Garvanza was its open hilly country that gave one a peaceful feeling in an area so close to Los Angeles and Pasadena. By 1900, scenes such as this quiet road near the Church of the Angels were being supplanted by a more suburban landscape. (C. C. Pierce collection.)

JOHNSON’S LAKE. One of Prudent Beaudry’s many specialties wa...