August 6, 2007

Once the heart of the Arts and Crafts movement in Los Angeles and a bohemian artists' colony, Garvanza is today one of Northeast LA's hidden treasures seeking to retain its turn of the century identity while creating a liveable neighborhood for the twenty-first century. Although many consider Garvanza to be just a part of Highland Park, this small and hilly area brimming with historic buildings has more than enough charm and character needed to stand out on its own. Named for the wild sweet peas (garbanzo beans) that used to grow on the hillsides, Garvanza itself is much like a hearty wildflower, blooming stubbornly amidst the dominant concreted landscape, unabashedly colorful and pleasantly surprising to discover.

Boundaries*: Pasadena City Limits to the North (approx. Ave 64 at Burleigh); Metro Right-of Way Bridge (approx. York Blvd/110 Fwy) to the South (although one small segment south of York at Ave 64 is within limits); East side of Avenue 66 to the East (Approx. San Pascual Ave/110 Fwy) ; East side of Figueroa proceeding to the West side of Avenue 63 at York Blvd to the West.

*Based on the recently designated Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ) boundaries

It can be noted that the placement of the Neighborhood signs do present some slight confusion, but generally speaking Garvanza is best designated as the area between Figueroa to the West and North West (bordering Highland Park), Pasadena City Limits to the North/Northwest (at Burleigh St. although Pasadena City Limits signage is placed on Ave 64 South of actual boundaries), South Pasadena and Hermon to the East (approx. San Pascual Av/110 Fwy) and York Blvd to the South.

People who front, or who don't know better, or who have grown weary of replying to "Gar-what-za?" say they live in: Highland Park

Political Lowdown:
LA City Council District 14, represented by Councilmember Jose Huizar

LA County District 1, represented by Supervisor Gloria Molina

State Assembly District 44, represented by Anthony Portantino

U.S. Congressional District 31, represented by Congressman Xavier Becerra

Senate District 22, represented by Gilbert Cedillo
[Some portions (Northeast edges) are in Senate District 21, representated by Senator Jack Scott]

Transit: There are no Metro light rail or subway stops within the Garvanza boundaries, but the area is well served by the Gold Line's Highland Park Station which is located just south of Garvanza at 151 N Ave 57, as well as by MTA Bus lines #81, 83, 176, 176 and also the DHPER bus.

Freeway Access: The 134 Fwy runs East/West just a couple of miles north of Garvanza (Figueroa exit); The 110 (Pasadena) Fwy runs North/South on Garvanza's Eastern boundary line.

Avenue 64 runs North/South through the heart of Garvanza. Here, an older brick building stands out as a testament to older architechture and the diverse heritage of the neighborhood. In fact, the first brick building ever erected between Los Angeles and Pasadena was situated at York and Ave 64 and was built by the Campbell-Johnson family in 1888.

History of Garvanza
Garvanza was first annexed by the city in 1899 following the annexation of Highland Park four years earlier, although the roots of the area reach back to the late 1700s, when, according to the historical overview presented by Bob Taylor Properties former soldier and rancher Jose Maria Verdugo "was granted 36,000 acres of land which he named 'Rancho San Raphael.' He built a small pueblo, using the balance for cattle raising." A century later the land was handled by several people who figured prominently in the city's history and whose names may ring familiar, such as partners Alfred B. Chapman and Andrew Glassell, who in 1869 bought a parcel of land at a Sherrif's auction measuring 32, 500 acres and sub-divided that further into 31 parcels. Developers Jesse Hunter, Albert H. Judson, and George W. Morgan then purchased the tract of land known as Highland Park in 1885 and broke it down even further. These lots were off what we know as Figueroa Street, but was formerly Grasshopper then Pasadena Street.

Garvanza was a part of the Rancho San Rafael (or Raphael) and earned its name from the local botanical abundance of garbanzo beans that were rumored to have been first planted by Don Julio Verdugo in 1833. Eventually the land located on what is now York Boulevard was held by Ralph and Edward Rogers, who called the area Garvanzo, then Garvanza, and boundaries were established as "Crescent Street on the north, Avenue 66 on the east, North Figueroa Street on the west, and Arroyo Glen Street on the south" (Bob Taylor Properties).

In 1902, these land titles were disputed by Ralph Rogers' ex-wife, as the following archived Los Angeles Herald article reports:

CLAIMS TITLE TO GARVANZA

Garvanza — the town which with Pasadena and San Diego shares the slurs cast by the stage people — has sprung into prominence in another way.

Yesterday Mrs. Julia A.N. Rogers, the divorced wife of Ralph Rogers, a former prominent Los Angeles real estate agent, began suit against about 200 defendants to quiet title to strips of land through nearly the entire town of Garvanza. . . .

Nearly every property owner in the town is affected. Mrs. Rogers claims that her title extends back to the old days when what is now Garvanza was a part of the 50,000-acre San Rafael Rancho, one of the oldest in Southern California . . . .

It is asked that each of the defendants be debarred from asserting any claim whatever to the land in question.

A.H. Judson and Julius Lyons represent the plaintiff. This is he second suit that has been brought in the last year to quiet title to nearly an entire town. The first was filed by E.L. Hutchinson on behalf of a client who claimed to own nearly the entire town of San Pedro.

(What became of this case I'm not sure, but it seems that the early 1900s saw much development in the area, leading me to believe the former Mrs. Rogers was not successful in claiming the titles.)

Much of Garvanza was developed in the late 1800s and into the early part of the twentieth century, during which time it became lauded as emblematic of the Arts and Crafts movement in regards to architecture, and the interests of its residents. Many homes have been recognized as official historic landmarks, and they and many more are evidence of the area's phenomenal architecture typical of that time period. Pictured above on the left is a more contemporary home styled to emulate the popular American Craftsman design, boasting a colorful set of directional signs that hint at the present-day self-proclaimed ecclecticism of Garvanza's residents.

Thanks to the hard work of The Highland Park Heritage Trust, Garvanza was officially designated as a neighborhood by the City of Los Angeles in 1997, and the entire area was earmarked as a Historical Preservation Overlay Zone in April 2007. The rest, as they say, is history.

The property located at 1135 N Ave 64 and adjacent lots currently host classic workmans' cottages that were either built or transplanted here between 1885 and 1940. According to the information provided by the organizers of the Treasures of Garvanza tour in 1999:

The original building on this one and a quarter acre lot was the cottage with a side-gabled roof. The front portion of the cottage was probably erected in the late 1880's, as it appears in photographs documenting the construction of the Church of the [Angels] in 1889. Certain features of the house also suggest that it may be one of the oldest buildings in the area, possibly a cottage for the workers on the Campbell-[Johnson] ranch. It is constructed of redwood with hand-forged square nails. (Wire nails were patented in the 1890's and replaced hand-forged square nails by the turn of the century.)

Many homes in Garvanza typify the Craftsman and California Bungalow style, including the use of river rock from the arroyo as foundational and decorative elements. According to this 2000 Los Angeles Business Journal article: