ANAHEIM HISTORICAL SOCIETY

A Splash of Color

2012-03-04T22:17:00.002-08:00

Our old Packing House on Anaheim Blvd. is looking good this week with a fresh paint job. The orange above the doors is finally orange again, after having been beige for decades. No one likes beige oranges!

The whole building practically emits healthy rays of Vitamin C at you.

Meanwhile, across the way at the soon-to-be Umami Burger, trees are coming in...

...and the Anaheim Brewery has a concrete patio at last!
We can't wait to see it all finished!

Come In To Our Parlor!

2012-03-01T23:50:00.008-08:00

Make yourself at home, but don't touch anything.

One of the earliest homes constructed in Orange County -- the "Mother Colony House" -- will be open this Saturday morning, March 3, for public viewing. If you've never toured this little gem (built in 1857), here is your chance to step back in time and immerse yourself in Anaheim's agricultural history! Your family will love it too.

The Mother Colony House is located at Founders' Park in Anaheim, where you can also marvel at the gigantic Moreton Bay Fig Tree which influenced the Swiss Family Treehouse in Disneyland -- AND, of course, you'll be able to tour the stunning Victorian home nextdoor, the Wolke-Stoffel house, as well.

Free Founders' Park Home Tours are available from 9AM to 12PM on Saturday.

400 N. West Street, in Anaheim. Hope to meet you there!

Sculpture Makes A Splash Once More

2012-02-24T00:39:00.018-08:00

Last summer we told you about the "Child on a Dolphin" sculpture in front of Anaheim's Chase Bank. Back then, the bronze sculpture, which had originally decorated the bank's fountain since 1970, was sadly in need of some love. Dead plants and litter filled the basin, and generally things weren't looking too good at the corner of Harbor Blvd and Lincoln Ave.

Well, as you can see in the photo above, that has all changed for the better. Chase Bank cleaned out the basin, installed a watering system, and planted fresh flowers all around. Not only do the boy and his trio of dolphins look happier, the entire intersection feels classier. We applaud Chase Bank for taking pride in their property and the neighborhood, and giving a piece of public art the respect that it deserves. Three cheers for Chase!

Here's the situation back in August 2011.

We expect everyone who lives and works in this city to take an active part in keeping Anaheim clean and beautiful. It begins with all of us. Pick up litter whenever you see it and throw it away. You've got two hands and it only takes a second, so get yourself into the habit. Do not tolerate graffiti or tagging, and teach your children to respect their neighbors and the neighborhood they live in! Anaheim is a beautiful city, and with all of us making a conscious effort, it can easily become even better.

Tiled with Style!

2012-02-21T18:08:00.000-08:00

Tile artists busy at work. Looks amazing, fellas!

Downtown Anaheim's Center Street is starting to shine as, one by one, each store receives a welcomed makeover inside and out. The restaurant space at 195 is looking crisp and clean with a new exterior of sparkling subway tile. There's still much to accomplish before a new tenant is able to move in, but already the building is getting rave reviews from the neighborhood. Get ready, folks, our Downtown is waking up....

Boxed citrus trees provide a temporary barricade as 195 Center Street undergoes a transformation.

We Want To Be LIKED By You!

2012-02-18T18:18:00.000-08:00

…on FACEBOOK, of course!

The Anaheim Historical Society Facebook Page is a happening place right now, with over three hundred fans swapping stories, photographs, and memories of our world-famous hometown.

Anaheim is like no other city on Earth, visited by an estimated 45 million people every year, and yet it has retained a “small town” vibe in many ways. Always evolving, Anaheim has countless stories to tell-- from its early pioneer days as a German settlement producing wine and beer, to the arrival of Disneyland which transformed our landscape forever.

Romantic, homespun, quirky, sometimes tumultuous, and frequently over-the-top, the story of Anaheim is classic Americana.

Come “like” us today and add your voice to the story!

Historical Anaheim Outdoor Antique Flea Market

2012-02-15T17:05:00.000-08:00

Center Street Promenade, Downtown Anaheim

Every 4th Sunday of the Month

OPENING DAY MARCH 25, 2012

Exclusive Vintage Market

Free Admission & Parking

Minutes from Disneyland

Between the 91 & 5 Freeways

More information (or if you'd like to be a vendor) visit Heirloomology.tumblr.com

Farmland vs. Fantasyland, 1955

2012-02-10T14:38:00.000-08:00

Orange trees and a row of fully-grown eucalyptus trees on the outskirts of Disneyland during the autumn of the park's opening year.

Today, the orange grove is gone, but amazingly those eucalyptus trees have survived. You can see them today as you face the Storybook Land attraction. The trees were planted over a hundred years ago by Anaheim farmers as a windbreak to their property line.

This Saturday Night! Anaheim Art Crawl!!!

2012-02-10T01:55:00.000-08:00

So, what’s coming up next?

“ACE” Art Crawl Experience on the Center Street Promenade.

February 11, 2012, 6PM to 10PM. Art, Crafts, Live Music, Food and a chance to preview some of the improvements being made to Center Street. Stop by for a famous Anaheim Beer in the beer garden at the Good Food Hall, hosted by the Anaheim Historical Society-- and your friends can join the AHS!

Anaheim for the Urban Archeologist

2012-02-06T17:42:00.000-08:00

Harlow's Service Station, 1930s
401 S. Los Angeles St, Anaheim

Whenever we find an old photograph of Anaheim that we haven't seen before, it's like discovering a map to buried treasure. Photos are the keys to a lost world, letting us explore forgotten places right in our own neighborhood, hidden under layers of progress and development.

Take, for instance, this recently unearthed image of Harlow's Service Station at the corner of Elm Street and Anaheim Blvd (then called Los Angeles Street). In the late 1920s and '30s motorists stopped here to fill up on St. Helens Gasoline or to buy a quart of motor oil for 25¢, made of petroleum from the nearby Whittier oil fields. The photo shows a quaint gas station built at an angle to the street, with hand-painted signage and glass-topped fuel pumps.

But a good Urban Archeologist, ever in search of pieces to the puzzle of the past will look deeper into the details. Behind the station runs Elm Street, lined with a row of old homes and buildings. One of the houses particularly caught our attention-- a two story Victorian house with ornamental roof railing:

Does it look familiar? It's the historic 1897 Rea House, the stately downtown home of sisters Kate and Ella Rea, after whom Katella Avenue is named. The house was relocated in 2007 to its current location on Stueckle Avenue:

The Kate and Ella Rea House today.
The decorative roof railing, removed decades ago, will be restored this year!

The Harlow's Service Station photo shows another building that has remained pretty much unchanged in 90 years, as well. On the far right of the image, behind the St. Helens sign, is the back end of a brick building with a window.

That building survives today as the location for two popular restaurants, Punjabi Tandoor Indian Food and Lindo Michoacan Mexican Restaurant. The row of houses has been replaced by a monstrous high-density residential complex, and the telephone lines have moved underground.

The corner of Elm and Anaheim Blvd. today.

Though it doesn't look very pretty at the moment, this area is about to be redeveloped for future use. The old lot itself was recently fenced off and many ideas are being discussed for this major parcel of historic Downtown Anaheim. What would YOU like to see built here?

Look Up!

2012-01-27T15:44:00.000-08:00

The gorgeous new embossed-tin ceiling is going up in the Good Food hall on Center Street today.

More Center Street Progress!

2012-01-23T02:50:00.000-08:00

The busy folks at the LAB continue to enhance our historic downtown's Center Street Promenade. Currently, it's all in the details...

Column bases are shedding the marble veneer, and gaining traditional bricks.

Before and After

Starting with the new doors and windows on the Food Court facade, a more classic look and vibe are gradually taking over the street.

Stay tuned for further updates on the exciting changes happening in your Downtown.

Or even better, why don't you head over to Center Street in person and see for yourself? While you're there, treat yourself to a fresh-brewed iced tea at the K&A, or frozen yogurt at Swirls. You'll be glad you did!

Mobil Gas Station, Anaheim 1956

2012-01-07T01:49:00.000-08:00

Can a gas station inspire awe? We think it can. This marvelous modern Mobil once adorned the intersection of Harbor and Katella, catty-corner from Disneyland's expansive parking lot. Its four exuberant canopies were arranged in a neat diamond pattern - each magically balanced on a single central support - and topped by a flying red Pegasus.

For these images, architects Whitney Smith and Wayne Williams enlisted the talents of their friend, famed photographer Julius Shulman. Shulman staged the photo on the spur of the moment, with a customer's red car and the wife of one of the architects, driving her own Austin-Healey convertible, with white gloves, in the foreground. Anaheim's ubiquitous orange trees, loaded with fruit, border the blacktop in the distance.

In his book Googie Redux, historian Alan Hess notes "This is another example of an established high-art architect who took the purpose and forms of roadside architecture seriously."

Fantastic, isn't it?

Julius Shulman was one of the leading architectural photographers of the 20th century, developing a close association with many Modernist architects. His work played a major role in crafting the perception of the "Southern California lifestyle" to the rest of the world during the 1950s and 1960s.

And here's where it was... in the bottom right corner of this 1958 aerial view.

Today the property is an empty lot surrounded by chain link fence.

Everything New is Old Again!

2012-01-06T00:36:00.000-08:00

Hang on tight, here it comes! The most exciting redevelopment project in Anaheim's history is underway, as our downtown's Center Street Promenade undergoes an extreme makeover.
Once home to historic buildings that have since been destroyed, the area will soon be inhabited with non-chain retail stores and restaurants that will bring a hip vibe to the area.

New windows (left) look older and more classic than the old ones (right).

The outdated Center Street, designed in the 1980s, is rapidly being re-imagined as a classic 1940s American downtown. In the visual styling of this project, it's evident that old has become the new new. For example, the K&A Cafe facade is currently in the process of getting fresh windows and doors, which look convincingly as though they've been here for generations. Antique-looking fold-out windows with panes of wavy hand-made glass are replacing the previous teal-framed ones - and the effect is stunning.

K&A's new interior, in progress.

Inside, the K&A is beginning to look like a whole new cafe. Vintage "chicken wire tile" cover the floor, new chairs and tables are being brought in, subway tiles add texture to the back wall, and soon an embossed tin ceiling will be installed "We're very excited about the changes," say K&A owners Kathy and Art Cervantes, who serve up sandwiches, tacos and pastries to the downtown lunch crowd.

K&A owner Art Cervantes (left) with AHS Vice President Kevin Kidney

Large window panels now fold open so diners can enjoy the weather as they eat, while the aromas of good food are carried out to passersby in the street.

Fresh-brewed iced tea and homemade cheese danish
at one of the new glass-topped "community tables".

Luther Miller (right), Construction Project Manager for Center Street's redevelopment.

An undertaking this big obviously requires passionate and creative people. The Lab's Project Manager Luther Miller grew up visiting the old downtown Anaheim as a kid, and fondly remembers the city's sense of excitement and activity. "Anaheim's downtown was king!" he recalls, "Back then the city had it all, and everyone came here." Miller is confident that the project will bring that good feeling back again. "Creating a timeless, appealing environment is just the first step. Fortunately the buildings on this street have good bones!"

Exterior lighting fixtures, then and now!

Watch for further updates on the transformation of our historic downtown in the weeks ahead.

White Front, Anaheim 1961

2011-12-27T16:26:00.000-08:00

When it comes to collecting photographs of mid-century America, just as the locals saw it through the lenses of their cameras, our friend Charles Phoenix is king. He has amassed a treasure trove of more than a million vintage Kodachrome slides, and his retro slide shows play to standing-room-only audiences across the country.

This colorful view of the White Front store, once located at 2222 S. Harbor Blvd, comes from Charles' book Southern Californialand (published by Angel City Press). Orange County's first "big box" discount chain store, White Front was the Target of its day.

*Get yourself a copy of Southern Californialand.

The Southland's Playground

2011-12-12T00:52:00.000-08:00

A while back, we shared an image of the front of an old brochure from the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce. Our pal Chris Jepsen recently posted the brochure's interior fold-out map on his terrific OC History Roundup blog. The graphics are delightful! Thanks, Chris!

PS: You can also download a much higher-rez scan

of the map from Chris's flickr set by clicking here.

Ride A Bike, Take A Hike...in Anaheim Coves

2011-11-16T03:31:00.000-08:00

If you never stepped out of your car, you wouldn't even know it was there. Stretching a full mile and a half right smack through the heart of Anaheim's urban cityscape is a corridor of peace and quiet for humans and wildlife alike. Anaheim Coves, a brand new park, finally opened for public use this week alongside the Santa Ana River, not far from (and in striking contrast to) the humming 57 Freeway.

On land that was originally known as the Burris Sand Pit, the city's groundwater recharge basin has been transformed into a gorgeous 14-acre mile-long pedestrian trail and bicycle path connecting Lincoln Avenue and Ball Road. The area is also a protected habitat for a variety of wildlife, in particular the many birds that live at Anaheim Coves, year round or during migration. The water and a thriving fish population provide an appealing rest stop on the Pacific Flyway, especially for fish-eaters like American white pelicans, skimmers, egrets and great blue herons. A large "Bird Island" near the basin's maintenance area has been built to encourage nesting above the changing water levels.

Over the past two years, the Orange County Water District, in partnership with the City of Anaheim, has diligently removed all invasive non-native vegetation that had been growing along the river's edge, and began planting thousands of native trees, scrubs and plants to restore the landscape to its natural condition. Plants accustomed to Anaheim's dry climate, such as California fuchsia, bush monkeyflower, white sage, matilija poppy, and toyon now border the trail. It's already breathtaking now, and as the years go by, the growth is expected to provide an oasis of shade and beauty.

People walking in Peters Canyon, 1895.

Local, natural and water stories are told along the trail through informative historical plaques provided with the guidance of Anaheim Public Library's Heritage Services. Vintage photos, like the one above, show locals enjoying an outing close to home in Orange County. Even earlier in history, Tongva Indians relied on the river's water to grow plants for food, shelter, and tools.

Today, in addition to the water-smart landscaping -- fences, benches and even the surfaces for parking are made entirely from recycled materials. Anaheim was named by German settlers to mean "Home by the (Santa Ana) River". Anaheim Coves now provides a natural, safe place for visitors to get outside and ride bicycles, go for a walk or simply relax while getting a closer connection and respect for our vital Santa Ana River.

Put on your walking shoes, hop on your bike, and treat yourself to Anaheim Coves. It's right here in the middle of your own city. Enter the trail from any one of three convenient locations: Lincoln Avenue, Ball Road or Rio Vista. If you've only seen your neighborhood from behind a steering wheel, you are in for a wonderful surprise.

TRACKING the PACKING HOUSE!

2011-11-07T03:03:00.000-08:00

Looking good, with the tower caps finally back in place!

If you live or work in downtown Anaheim, you are probably keeping an eye on the amazing transformation happening now on Anaheim Blvd. The 92-year old Spanish revival warehouse is one of the last remaining architectural treasures of Orange County's citrus era - and its being restored!

On November 3rd, the restoration crew marked a milestone of sorts, when they finally replaced the long-lost caps atop the two towers on the building's facade. We got a rare opportunity to explore the construction site, and even went inside for a look at the newly painted ceiling. It's an awe-inspiring space.

In the distance, the Anaheim Brewery occupies the old Packard dealership, with Los Angeles burger sensation Umami Burger scheduled to open next door in February.

When it opens next year, this cavernous sunlit space will hold over twenty restaurants.
Dining space will be communal- with seating inside and outside the packing house.

"Sunkist, I Presume!"
The original Sunkist orange emblem on the face of the building.

Vintage view of the building in its heyday, with the original tower caps.

Follow the Anaheim Packing House progress at www.trackingthepacking.com

ANAHEIM HALLOWEEN PARADE 2011

2011-11-03T21:28:00.000-07:00

Anaheim Historical Society - Halloween Parade 2011 from Crescent Bay Films on Vimeo.

Ever since 1924, the residents of Anaheim celebrate Halloween in their own particular way...with a PARADE! This year the Anaheim Historical Society presented a fabulous "Hi Neighbor" Autocade of vintage cars and trucks, headlights flashing and horns honking to the delight of thousands lining both sides of Broadway. Highlights included a 1928 Buick Sedan Truck, a 1931 Ford Model A, and more! Among the Guests of Honor were Elsie Reed (Founder and past President of the Anaheim Arts Council) and Geri Bumpass (Disneyland's first Tour Guide).

Andy Anaheim is Back!

2011-10-31T01:30:00.000-07:00

Could it be that our favorite mascot may be enjoying a comeback at last? Andy Anaheim seems to be popping up everywhere lately, in all sorts of shapes and sizes.

In what could be the first ever 3-dimensional version of Andy...

This hand-made plush figure was created by OC crafter Giddy Girlie. Andy even has an orange in his hand! He's adorable!

Anaheim resident Allison Montanile (and the current AHS Secretary) carved some Halloween cheer for her front porch with this fantastic Andy-O-Lantern!

And this one certainly takes the cake...

Anaheim cake designer Norma Jauregui amazed the neighborhood when she showed up to a recent potluck with this edible delight.

His big letter 'A' was chocolate cake while his head and limbs were meticulously formed from rice krispy treats. The whole thing was flawlessly covered in fondant, with black licorice for his hair.

As you might imagine, he was gone in no time.

But, not one to disappear for long, Andy was featured in this weekend's annual Halloween Parade through downtown Anaheim...

Anaheim Halloween Parade, October 29, 2011

(Hey, he looks like the real deal to us!)

So, if YOU spot Andy Anaheim somewhere, be sure to share photos with us by uploading them to our facebook page. We can't wait to see where he might suddenly pop up next!

ANAHEIM HALLOWEEN PARADE TONIGHT!

2011-10-29T03:22:00.000-07:00

Gather all the ghouls and goblins together this evening for a spectacular Anaheim tradition that goes back to 1924!

The Anaheim Halloween Parade will STEP OFF AT 6PM and travel east along BROADWAY (from Manchester to the Center Street Promenade). Look for the Anaheim Historical Society's AUTOCADE of antique cars and participants from the community dressed in vintage clothing.

Among our special guests this evening will be Anaheim resident Geri Bumpass, who was Disneyland's very first Tour Guide, and previously appeared in the parade back in 1959.

See you there!

Survey History with Us!

2011-10-17T00:56:00.000-07:00

Join the Anaheim Historical Society and stand out above the rest! Simply print the membership form below, fill it out and mail it with your check made payable to the ANAHEIM HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

Mail to: Anaheim Historical Society, P.O. Box 927, Anaheim, CA 92815.

For further membership information or assistance, please contact Kandee Beas at 714-397-9182. Thanks!

OKTOBERFEST TIME!

2011-10-07T13:12:00.000-07:00

Starch your dirndls! Get out your lederhosen! It's that time of year again.

Celebrate Anaheim's German roots with an icy mug of Oktoberfest Beer, hand-crafted by the Anaheim Brewery from a hundred-year-old recipe! Polka to the exuberant oom-pah-pah of a 17-piece German brass band! Enjoy traditional German food treats (as well as some amazing vegan delights) ALL while benefiting the Anaheim Historical Society!

The grand event begins at 3PM, Saturday October 8 (that's tomorrow, meine freunde!) in Downtown Anaheim's Center Street Promenade.

See you there!

A Tremendous Afternoon in Anaheim!

2011-09-25T10:42:00.000-07:00

Anaheim Historical Society - Citrus Celebration 2011 from Crescent Bay Films on Vimeo.

A round of applause to all who contributed to the success of Citrus Celebration, and a warm welcome to our many new AHS members who signed up this weekend. Thank you for your pride in our amazing community.

And lastly, a tip of our hat to filmmaker Jason Garner for capturing the smiles and festivities on film!

Anaheim Historical Society on NPR!

2011-09-21T17:59:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE to listen to our interview with KPCC FM host Alex Cohen which aired today!

Meet Andy Anaheim!

2011-09-21T17:48:00.000-07:00

With his ant-like antennae and Mickey Mouse-ish nose, Andy Anaheim was a quirky little cartoon character who became Anaheim's official mascot in the 1950s. Perpetually smiling, Andy embodied the city's optimism during a period of incredible changes. In fact, his whole body stood for Anaheim, literally, with a capital A!

The original Andy Anaheim model sheet, drawn by the Walt Disney Studio, early 1954.

Andy belongs to the City of Anaheim's Chamber of Commerce, a generous gift from Walt Disney himself. While Disneyland was in its early planning stages, City officials requested a special mascot - a character with a cheerful face to help ease and endorse Anaheim's growth from a quiet farming community into a booming vacation destination for the whole world.

Andy Anaheim helped promote scores of city programs and events.

The character was designed in the spirit of familiar cartoon advertising icons popular in America during that time. Advertising characters sold everything from breakfast cereals to air lines, so why not put one to work representing an entire city?

"Follow Andy to downtown Anaheim!" 1957 visitors' brochure

Anaheim's new slogan was "America's Hub of Happiness" with Disneyland being, naturally, "the Happiest Place on Earth." It was hoped that the throngs of visitors lured to Disneyland from around the world each year would also spread their vacation dollars into Anaheim's downtown district, located just one mile north of the Park. Brochures listing Anaheim's department stores, restaurants, movie theaters and churches were given to visitors checking into the hotels and motels that were popping up all around Walt Disney's vacation kingdom.

Anaheim Welcomes You.

With property values suddenly on the rise, most of Anaheim's citrus growers were enticed to "sell the farm". Responding to the inpouring of new residents, suburbs of ranch-style homes and tract housing replaced the seemingly endless acres of Valencia oranges, lemons, and walnuts that had once defined Anaheim. A brand new Anaheim with a new focus was underway.

Anaheim Chamber of Commerce stationery, 1955.

"Andy Says" - Anaheim city newsletter, 1962

The Anaheim Bulletin, August 21, 1986

Anaheim's public image has evolved much, as can be charted by a lengthy string of mascots, logos and official slogans incorporated over the years. But of them all, Andy Anaheim remains our favorite. How can you not like him? Sure, we admit he's a little weird, but his unwavering positive attitude is a quality we admire in anyone. For a job well done in lending his friendly face to a city that has always been challenging to define, we give Andy an 'A'.

Anaheim Historical Society's official Andy Anaheim shirt.

Find out more about Andy Anaheim at the Anaheim Historical Society's CITRUS CELEBRATION this Saturday September 24 in Founders' Park -- and purchase your Andy Anaheim tee shirt to help support the AHS's goals to preserve our city's unique history!

The Shocking Truth About Anaheim Chiles!

2011-09-12T00:32:00.000-07:00

Did you know...

Anaheim chiles actually originated in New Mexico. According to pepper legend, around 1896, New Mexico rancher Emilio Ortega brought these chile seeds to Anaheim to plant and sell. The mild green peppers adapted well to our Southern California soil and climate, and soon everyone was referring to Ortega's peppers as Anaheim chiles. The name stuck, and here on the West Coast the Anaheim pepper rules the roost.

CITRUS CELEBRATION! Sept 24, 2011

2011-08-31T20:56:00.000-07:00

CITRUS CELEBRATION
Saturday, September 24, 2011
2pm to 5pm
Founders' Park, 400 N. West Street, Anaheim, Calif.

Join the Anaheim Historical Society at the newly opened Founders' Park and celebrate the agricultural era for which Orange County is named. Enjoy presentations by Jane Newell of the Anaheim Public Library's Heritage Services, Artist Kevin Kidney, and a preview of Anaheim's landmark Citrus Packing House project by Lab Holdings! Plus old-fashioned orange soda & vanilla ice cream floats provided by Ruby's Diner, fresh-squeezed lemonade from Anaheim lemons, and free tours of the historic buildings at Founders' Park!

Admission to the event is free, and open to all ages. BECOME A MEMBER of the ANAHEIM HISTORICAL SOCIETY during the event (or RENEW your existing membership) to be entered in our drawing for a free citrus tree courtesy of Anaheim TreePower!

See you there!

No Finer Place To Live

2011-08-31T19:26:00.000-07:00

Brochure published by the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce,

early 1950s.

Art in Anaheim: Sculptor John Edward Svenson

2011-08-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

"Child on a Dolphin", by John Edward Svenson (1970)

Near a busy sunlit intersection in Anaheim dominated by the sounds of traffic and occasional air-brake hiss of city busses, a young child is going for a joy ride with a trip of dolphins. His arms outstretched like a rodeo bronc buster, the youth seems barely capable of keeping his seat, as the creatures slip over and below the waves of an imaginary sea.

The sculpture in 1970

John Edward Svenson's sculpture celebrating the joyful spirit of childhood has enhanced the southwest corner of Harbor Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue (one mile north of Disneyland) for over forty years. The bronze cast was commissioned for Anaheim's Home Savings of America branch in 1970, to accompany Millard Sheets' brilliant tile mosaic depicting the early years of Anaheim history. Through his association with the Sheets Studio from the 1950s through the early 1970s, Svenson produced more than twenty sculptures for Home Savings and the Ahmanson Corporation all over Southern California.

Plaster presentation model, 10" high.

1970, the original full-scale plaster pattern in Svenson's Studio.

Today.

Chase Bank now owns the building and the artwork, and sadly the reflecting fountain has become an unkempt planter with the addition of a scraggly bougainvillea and a large rock resting on the fountain's original nozzles. Someone (probably well intentioned) placed plastic pots of flowers into the basin at some point, but the plants have long since died and dried up, and the pots have become just more litter among the trash tossed in by people passing by. There is no apparent signature or credit given to the artist, who still lives and works today from his studio in Upland. (Perhaps John Svenson's name is buried somewhere beneath all that landscaping bark?)

A beautiful new book "Exploring Form: The Life and Sculpture of John Edward Svenson" by the artist's son David is now available and is an enjoyable way to become re-acquainted with Svenson's amazing body of work. Wouldn't it be fantastic if Chase Bank would maintain Svenson's sculpture with the care and respect that it deserves?

The Famous Anaheim Brewery

2011-08-28T17:07:00.000-07:00

The brewery in 1906.

Bavarian-born, Anaheim resident Friedrich Conrad started his first brewery, the California Brewery at 113 Adele Street between Lemon and Los Angeles (now Anaheim Boulevard) Streets. The brewery was so popular that on May 24, 1888, Conrad purchased 10 more acres on Broadway in West Anaheim. There he built a vast brick building and named it the Anaheim Brewery, famous for its "Anaheim Beer."

Anaheim Brewery's founder Friedrich Conrad

On the west end of the brewery, Conrad established a little park with trees, tables and benches, and a central pavillion. The park was known as Tivoli Gardens, and later Columbia Gardens. The park quickly became a popular gathering place for picnics, with people bringing their own food or buying sandwiches and beer at the brewery. The Anaheim Gazette noted in 1890 that Conrad's beer "appears to be fully equal if not superior to the celebrated Anheuser beer of St. Louis. Besides it is a stictly Orange County product and all who are in the habit o using beer should give it a trial if only to encourage home industries."

In 1904 Conrad sold the Anaheim Brewery to the Joseph and Anton Hessel who renamed it Union Brewing Company. The family continued to make beer until National Prohibition closed the taps in 1920.

(left to right) standing: Joseph Hessel, unidentified Hiltscher, Anton Hessel, unidentified Hiltscher, unidentified Hiltscher; (left to right) seated: unidentified Bennerscheidt, Leonard Hessel, Frank Hogle, unidentified. (1910)

Happily, after a ninety year hiatus, Famous Anaheim Beer is back again, with six delicious hand-crafted brews on tap, including Anaheim 1888.

Our Mission Statement:

2011-08-28T16:51:00.000-07:00

"The Anaheim Historical Society's mission is to share and document the history, events,

art and architecture of Anaheim, and to preserve these memories for future generations."

Welcome Neighbor!

2011-08-28T16:42:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Anaheim Historical Society's online newsletter, The Anaheim Gazette! Chances are pretty good that even if you don't live in Anaheim, you've probably visited our city before. Disneyland, the Anaheim Convention Center, Angels Stadium and other famous attractions occupy land that for almost a hundred years prior had been farmland -- producing citrus, walnuts, and, for a brief period, grapes for wine.

This November marks the 35th anniversary of the founding of the Anaheim Historical Society in 1976 by a group of neighbors committed to preserving and protecting our city's history. That same year, in spite of the Society's efforts, many buildings in Anaheim's historic downtown were lost forever in the name of progress.

The AHS was incorporated in May 1978 as a California non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of local history and fostering community pride through the knowledge of those that came before.
Two of Anaheim’s significant historical buildings were nominated by the AHS to the National Register of Historic Places:

Anaheim’s first “skyscraper”, the 1925 Samuel Kraemer Building was listed in 1983.

The 1908 Anaheim Public Library building, a gift from Andrew Carnegie, nominated in 1979 was restored and reopened in 1987 as the Anaheim Museum. Today it is part of Downtown's popular MUZEO complex which includes the Anaheim Heritage Room, also open to the public.

The Society has published several books including: “Anaheim’s Colorful Heritage”, “A Guide to Historic Anaheim”, and a 3-volume series titled Biographical Sketches of Anaheim.
Since 1978, the AHS has hosted occasional Historic Home Tours to showcase Anaheim’s existing architectural treasures. Special events spotlighting a variety of local historical subjects are planned each year.

We hope you become a member of the Anaheim Historical Society and show your commitment to preserving our city's very unique history, the people, events, architecture, and works of art that define our past, and continue to shape our future.

The Anaheim Historical Society is a tax-exempt non-profit educational institution, as determined by the IRS under Section 501(c)3. Tax ID #95-3247506