Pankow Building

The building standing at the southeast corner of Lake and Mariposa has a story to tell about finance in Altadena.  Home to two banks and an internationally-known engineering firm, the building was constructed in 1926 for Pacific Southwest Trust and Savings Bank.   

Bank Plans 1926

The bank manager was local businessman, architect and Chamber of Commerce president R. M. Thurin.   In 1929 the bank changed hands to become Security First National of Los Angeles.

Bank interior, about 1928

In the mid 1960s Security First (later Security Pacific) relocated to the southwest corner of Marcheta and Lake. (It now houses the denominational headquarters of United Church of Christ.)

Above: Photos on right show interior of bank in the Pankow building, about 1928. Photos on left show another banking institution, Altadena National Bank, located on northwest corner of Lake and Mariposa.

In 1967, the old bank building was acquired by Charles Pankow Company, serving as the architecture and engineering firm's corporate headquarters.  Mr. Pankow died in 2004 at the age of 83.   Since then the building has changed hands and today serves as office space.

The 1970s' remodel hides the building's original Mediterranean details.

Read about the bank building's public drinking fountain here.

Altadena's Boulder Crest 1914 - 1935

Many of Altadena’s grand homes still stand, but some of the grandest have been lost to fire and flood. Boulder Crest, built by Reinhardt Busch (not of the Adolphus Busch family) and completed in 1914, was destroyed by the 1935 Las Flores Canyon fire that also wiped out La Vina Sanitarium and threatened the Cobb estate.

Hewn from Millard Canyon granite and El Prieto Canyon timber, the huge home was built overlooking the east edge of the canyon where the road curves to go up to the Meadows (photo below). The huge craftsman-like lodge was constructed in the Swiss Chalet style and featured spectacular gardens, bridges, an aviary and petting zoo.

Busch published a brochure featuring the property.  In it he boasted, “More than 200 men were here employed at different stages of this work, each one taking unusual interest, thus making it possible to achieve these results.” The caption describing the photograph featuring the ground floor entry (photo below) read, “At the door of this rocky castle [the visitor] turns through a gateway formed by two immense boulders weighing many tons – resting just where they were placed by the great Creator.” The cornerstone of the lower entrance stood 17 feet high.

Busch wasn’t a wealthy man – he and his wife Mary were proprietors of a Los Angeles clothing store. They received an inheritance and with this they built Boulder Crest where they entertained many prominent people including Thomas Alva Edison and Henry Ford. Busch lost everything in the 1935 fire.  In 1940 the property was sold. Incorporating parts of the remaining masonry walls, the new owners built a contemporary house that still stands today.

Boulder Crest, pamphlet, prepared and published by R. J. Busch, nd. (AHS collection)

Altadena’s Golden Years, Robert Peterson, Sinclaire Printing & Litho Inc., Alhambra CA, 1972

Altadena's Grand Homes

In 1926 the Chamber of Commerce touted Altadena as “the land of dreams, beauty of scenery, mixed with sublimity... beauty personified … It is charm converted into convincing masterfulness.”  Playing the role of community booster, the Chamber published pamphlets that often featured grand Altadena homes including the Craftsman below owned by Dr. J. E. Minney.  Never at a loss for words, the Chamber editor wrote,  "Dr. J. E. Minney, [is] a student of nature, a retired physician of note, thankful and thoughtful to God, faithful to the Golden Rule.”

The Egyptian revival home  (below) belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick T. Griffith.  The opening of King Tut’s tomb in 1922 flamed an interest in exoticism and all things Egyptian, a trend that did not bypass Altadena.

Both houses, like so many treasures in Altadena, still stand in near original condition, looking very much as they did when they were featured in the Chamber’s 1926 publication, Altadena the Beautiful.   The gardens remain relatively unchanged as well.  The deodar to the left of the Minney house is still there.  The two palms in the Griffith garden now tower over the house shading most of the front yard.

 

Altadena Envelope Seal circa 1970

AHS received a package of these stickers recently. The donor told us they were printed in the 1970s and were used as Christmas envelope seals.  We suspect the tree represents Altadena's historical landmark, Christmas Tree Lane.

1 inch x 1.5 inches
Green foil with gold foil print

Altadena's First Catholic School - St. Elizabeth's Parochial School

In 1926, St. Elizabeth of Hungary Roman Catholic Parish (Los Angeles Archdiocese) dedicated its new church building at the corner of Lake Avenue and Woodbury, designed by architect Wallace Neff.  The accompanying grade school, just west of the church (facing Woodbury Road) was designed by Albert C. Martin and Associates.

In a 1926 brochure about churches in the community,  Altadena Chamber of Commerce boasted, "Well equipped, and modern, with large recreation grounds attached to, and a part of the beautiful [church] this school is highly represented, and amply provided for years to come. Great credit is due Rev. Dr. Wm. E. Corr, for his untiring efforts and foresight in securing this beautiful site and splendid building."  

As outlined in the article in the Altadena Press, in 1955 the school was re-purposed as the kindergarten and Parish Administrative offices. A new modern school, built by Driver Construction Company at a cost of $130,000, opened on the east side of Lake, and is still used today. 

New school built in 1955

In 1970, the old school was destroyed by a fire that started in the kitchen.  Today it is a garden bordering the south side of the parking lot behind the church.

Theosophical Society in Altadena

Altadena's best kept secret is the Theosophical Society. The organization has been headquartered in Altadena since 1951, housed in two local historic buildings.

Headquarters- 643 E. Mariposa            Library - 2416 N. Lake

Founded in New York in 1875, the non-sectarian organization went through more than a few hostile schisms, too numerous to mention here, but definitely interesting reading if you like gossip. 

According to the society's literature, today the organization is a “worldwide association dedicated to uplifting humanity through a better understanding of oneness of life and the practical application of brotherhood. Unsectarian and nonpolitical, the objectives are:

• to form an active brotherhood among mankind;
• to promulgate the essential unity of all that is, and to demonstrate that this unity is fundamental in nature;
• to promote the study of ancient and modern religion, science, and philosophy;
• to explore the hidden side of nature and mankind.”

The Society's International Headquarters is located in a grand old house at the northeast corner of Mariposa and Santa Rosa Avenue. It's the last of three significant homes built on the same millionaire's row lot. 

The house today

The first house was a massive thing, built in the shingle style and designed by architect Frederick Roehrig in the 1880s for Baynard Smith who was instrumental in setting up the Valley Hunt Club of Pasadena, which in turn founded the Rose Parade.  This architectural gem burned to the ground in 1894.

Looking north from Mariposa. 
That's Echo Mountain in the
background, left of house.
Photo: Huntington Library

Soon after, Daniel Cameron purchased the property and built a new house in the trendier mission style, also designed by Roehrig.

The second house

In 1920 the mansion was "remodeled" (beyond recognition) by architect Myron Hunt, in the Beaux Art style.  The house was purchased by the Theosophists about thirty years later, and has changed very little, except for the overgrowth of trees and bushes. 

The Theosophists also maintain a library in Altadena, staffed by very nice, helpful people, located in the old Cobb garage on the Southeast corner of Marcheta and Lake Ave. On their website it says: 

Theosophical Library Center makes available to the public a large and unique reference collection with significant works on philosophy, science, and the world's religions. Prominence is given to the ancient traditions of the Americas, Asia, the Near East, Africa, Europe, and Australasia, with sacred texts and commentaries arranged in the historical, cultural, and geographical context in which they evolved. In this way, the reader may follow the recurrent ideas that have helped people of all cultures find a deeper meaning in life.

If you haven't dropped in, you're missing a little Altadena treasure.
It's open daily from 2:00 to 4:30 or by appointment.
Phone (626) 798-8020
tstec@thesociety.org

You can read more about Theosophy here or visit the library online.