James McFadden, who founded Balboa Island and Newport Beach in the 1860s, built Villa Mara on the northwest corner of Altadena Drive and Holliston. The prairie-style estate was built in 1913 for $70,000. The McFadden family sold the property… Read More »Altadena’s James McFadden House
Adolph and Kate Crane Gartz built a spectacular $25,000 house on the northwest corner of Mariposa and Santa Rosa in 1908. (The house was razed in 1953. Today the property is a Girl Scout camp.) Kate Crane Gartz was heiress… Read More »Altadena’s Kate Crane Gartz House
Front page article in the December 20, 1930 issue of The Altadena Press Do You Know Altadena? Here are a Few Facts By Jay V. V. Green, Secretary, Altadena Chamber of Commerce 4800 telephones 35 grocery, meat market stores 1… Read More »Altadena Facts Circa 1930
Perfectly aligned with Altadena’s Christmas Tree Lane, built far above in the foothills, was a five pointed star built on a thirty-five foot tall wood scaffold, with seventy-five forty watt light bulbs. The star didn’t float in the sky. This is an artist’s rendering.… Read More »Christmas Tree Lane’s Star of Palawoo
We were pleased to find in our collection this photograph of The Larry Harmon Studio, 2605 N. Lake Avenue, taken by Larry Harmon, who by the way was not the same Larry Harmon who played Bozo the Clown. The commercial… Read More »Altadena’s Larry Harmon Studio