Wednesday, February 3, 2016

New Coffee House in Old Altadena Building


Opening Soon: Cafe de Leche in the 2400 block of Lake
We've kept our eye on the rehab of this building on the west side of Lake Avenue north of Mariposa, soon opening as Cafe de Leche.

The quirky little structure was originally located at the intersection of Altadena Drive and Lake as one of more than 30 gasoline stations that serviced Altadena in the late 1920s.  

"Traffic Island, Lake Ave at Altadena Dr.,1930s"

Above: The gas station looking east, about 1930.
Red line indicates straightening of Altadena Drive 
in the 1970s. Red circle indicates original 
location of station in the 1920s.
Based on maps in the AHS collection, we believe the structure was moved when the building that now houses El Patron restaurant was constructed, probably in the 1950s.

The building was moved a few blocks south
to it's current location.
La Leche Cafe, in the 2400 block of Lake Ave, is opening soon. Open daily 7 am to 5 pm. The menu includes coffee, tea, pastries, tamales, bagels and more. Their other location is in Highland Park.  Find out more.  

3 comments:

  1. I've always wondered about this building - "quirky" is a good term for it. Fascinating history that I hope they will display when the new cafe opens.

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  2. So wonderful to see this history! Can't wait to try the coffee - thanks for the update

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  3. That's where my dad and I got our haircuts in the 70's.

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