The Huntington Beach "Pav-a-lon"

According to the late historian Alicia Wentworth, this photo was taken July 4, 1946. The building is the "Pav-a-lon": An entertainment venue built by the WPA in 1938 at the foot of the Huntington Beach Pier. This building most recently served as Maxwell's restaurant before being torn down to make way for Duke's.

I don't know why they called it the Pav-a-lon (or "Pavalon"), except that half the other towns on the coast already had a Pavilion. Also, in earlier years, Huntington Beach really played up its crystal clear view of Catalina Island. The island even appears on the City's official seal. So perhaps Pavalon is a reference to "Avalon."

From our viewpoint, standing atop the drug store (later Jack's), we can see a tilt-a-whirl (always a favorite of mine), a carousel, and some sort of vomit-comet ride. There was also a small ferris wheel to the right of the carousel. I haven't been able to pin down just how long the mini-fun-zone lasted at this location.

Notice the banner announcing "Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band" at the Pav-a-lon. Here's a YouTube clip from that very band, playing the "Muskrat Ramble" only a few years later.

For more about the Pav-a-lon, here's a link to a relevant article from the Independent by Jerry Person.

Tustin, Anaheim, Savanna School District, etc.

Today's photo is an early image of Main Street in Tustin. Some of these buildings are still standing, in one form or another.

As part of Anaheim's ongoing sesquicentennial celebration, a time capsule will be unearthed at the Mother Colony House, 414 N. West St., this Sunday at 1pm. The capsule was buried during the City's centennial in 1957. The public is invited. A new time capsule will also be dedicated -- to be opened in 2057.

Dr. Sue Johnson, Supt. of the Savanna School District in West Anaheim, will give a presentation on the "History of the Savanna School District." The district has done a great job collecting materials, photos, interviews, etc. The talk will be held this Wednesday, Sept 12, at Maxwell School, 2613 W. Orange Avenue (NW corner of Magnolia and Orange Ave) at 7 PM. The event is open to the public, and refreshments wil be served.

Fountain Valley is holding a barbeque to as part of the City's ongoing 50th anniversary celebration. For details, click through to this Register article.

The Register also ran an article about the latest developments surrounding the historic Troubleman Cottage in San Juan Capistrano.

Tony DeLeo, Costa Mesa, Disneyland & Balboa

Here's the photo I was going to post yesterday, to compliment the Costa Mesa news item. It's a view Newport Blvd in Downtown Costa Mesa in the 1950s.

One of my regular online haunts is a site with the unlikely title, Gorillas Don't Blog. Recently, it's webmaster, "Major Pepperidge," posted two especially impressive entries. First, he posted an amazing, large, oblique, color aerial photo of Disneyland in 1955. Also, he posted photos and a brochure from one of Disneyland's most obscure "attractions": The Crane Bathroom of Tomorrow. I've heard people joke about this for years, but I could never get a clear idea of what it looked like. Frankly, I'm a little disappointed that it doesn't look more like something from The Jetsons.

A memorial service for Tony DeLeo, owner of Tony's Architectural Salvage in Orange, will be held Sunday. Click through to the Register article for details.

Plans are now set for the Balboa Theatre (1927) to be remodeled and reopened. I hope "remodeled" means brought back to its original look, but who knows. In my day, this place was best known as the place where high school "theater geeks" attended late night (interactive) showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. That cult flick played the midnight bill at the Balboa Theatre from the late 1970s until just before the theater closed in 1992.

Contrary to earlier reports, the Anaheim Public Library, 500 W. Broadway, will not resume regular hours until Monday. (This does not include the History Room, which remains closed.)

Costa Mesa & Huntington Beach

This is a short entry for two reasons. First, "Blogger" is having technical difficulties that prevent me from posting a photo. Also, I got a late start, having spent some of this evening at a meeting of the Educational Committee for the upcoming Huntington Beach Centennial. Speaking of which,... If you have any old photos of H.B. you'd be willing to let me scan and use in a documentary, please let me know.

A bit more information is now available on the upcoming Adobe Open House and Pioneer Picnic hosted by the Costa Mesa Historical Society (CMHS). The event will be held in Estancia Park (at the Diego Sepulveda Adobe), 1900 Adams Ave., Sept. 15th, 10am-3pm. There will be a presentation on "Pioneers of the Past" at 1pm by Patty Boardman. Bring a picnic lunch and a blanket. This is a free event honoring those whose families arrived in Costa Mesa prior to 1940. To contact the CMHS, call (949) 631-5918.

Prohibition, Dana Point, and Disneyland

In today's photo -- taken March 31, 1932 -- we see Sheriff's deputies dumping confiscated booze down the drain at the County yard on Fruit St. in Santa Ana. I'd guess those are WCTU ladies behind them.

The 8th Annual Dana Point Historical Society Home Tour will be held Oct. 7th, 11am-4 pm. The tour will feature a variety of architectural styles, from 1920s Spanish Revival to Modern. For more details, visit the DPHS website.

Disney has announced the release of a new 2-DVD set in the "Walt Disney Treasures" series, titled, "Disneyland: Secrets, Stories & Magic." The set focuses on Disneyland's history, and should be released Dec. 11th. The previous "Disneyland, U.S.A." set in this series was very impressive and entertaining, so I'm hoping this one's just as good.

Calico Mine Ride, salvage sale, Westminster, etc.

The Calico Mine Ride, designed and built by Bud Hurlbut in 1960, was the first real "dark ride" at Knott's Berry Farm and is still surprisingly effective today. The photo above, (courtesy the Orange County Archives,) shows the "bottomless" cavern as it originally appeared. It's amazing what can be done with gunnite, no?

The Santa Ana Historic Preservation Society's (SAHPS) next salvage sale will be held Sept. 22nd, 10am-2pm, at the Dr. Willella Howe-Waffle House and Medical Museum, 120 Civic Center Dr., Santa Ana. (Across from the Old Courthouse.) They need storage space, so expect deep discounts on vintage materials saved from several older homes unfortunately slated for demolition. Items include doors, windows, wood trim, hardware, etc., etc. Santa Ana residents will get a discount with proof of residence.

The SAHPS will hold their 10th annual historical cemetery tour Oct. 20th at Fairhaven Memorial Park. Click through for more information.

As part of the City of Westminster's 50th Anniversary celebration, the Westminster Historical Society will hold a car show on Oct. 13, 9am-3pm, at Blakey Historical Park, 8612 Westminster Blvd. Free admission and parking for the public. For information, call (714) 334-7550.

I'm starting to hear rumblings of support for the threatened Wintersburg properties I wrote about Saturday. I can't say more than that yet, but maybe there's hope if we can get a grass-preservation effort going.

Anaheim Library, OC Historical Society, CSUF, etc

The Anaheim History Room closed yesterday and will not reopen until their move to the Muzeo building is complete in October. In the interim, maybe they’ll let Jane drive some of her collection around in one of these vintage bookmobiles. It could even play music like an ice cream truck. (Perhaps Jan & Dean's "Anaheim, Azusa & Cucamonga Sewing Circle?") Can't you just see the kids running to ask their parents for a dollar, and then dashing after the truck to get copies from the Anaheim Gazette microfilm? (I'm guessing the postcard image above dates from the 1950s.)

Since I’m catching up on items from yesterday, I should point out that Saturday was also the 35th anniversary of our County bus service.

Now that Summer is winding down, the O.C. Historical Society is ramping back up with some new programs. David W. Muller, Executive Director of the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum will address the group Sept. 13, at 7:30pm at the Sherman Library & Gardens in Corona del Mar. He will discuss the history and future of the museum. The meeting will be preceded by a dessert potluck at 6:30pm. (This works like any other potluck, so bring goodies if you want to eat goodies.)

[CORRECTION:] The O.C. Historical Society’s following meeting will be held Oct. 11th, 7pm, at Trinity Episcopal Church in Orange. [Not in at Prentice Park as reported earlier.] Santa Ana Zoo Director Ronald Glazer will talk about the past, present and future” of the zoo. Hopefully, the history portion of the talk will include some discussion of the eccentric and irascible Judge Prentice.

CSUF will celebrate their 50th anniversary on Sat, Sept. 15, 10am-3pm with an on-campus open house. There will be live music, food booths, a historical exhibit, and activities for kids. They claim they’re holding elephant-free elephant races, but I have no idea how that’s supposed to work.

This morning’s Register reports that the “Doheny House” in Dana Point is still standing, despite the new owner’s wishes. The developer just paid for an environmental impact report (EIR), which will take about two months to complete. After the EIR is filed, the public will have 45 days to read and add their comments. (Usually, EIRs are available at City Hall and the Public Library.) Then the EIR will go to the City Planning Commission for approval.

Wintersburg Japanese Presbyterian Church(es) threatened by trash

I hear that Rainbow Disposal may demolish several historic buildings from the early Japanese community at Wintersburg, to make way for a dumpster storage yard! On the southeast corner of Warner Ave. and Nichols in what is now Huntington Beach, these buildings include both the 1910 and 1934 incarnations of the Wintersburg Japanese Presbyterian Church, as well as the old C. M. Furuta home. The photo above shows the newer, 1934 church, and the photo below shows the 1910 building.

The 1910 building, seems like it could be easily moved to another site for preservation. If we can't keep it in Huntington Beach, I think a great location would be next to the Orange County Agricultural & Nikkei Heritage Museum at CSUF.

Everyone talks a good game about "multiculturalism," but let's see if all the fuss actually translates into action. If nothing else, I think Rainbow Disposal wouldn't mind some good P.R. in the community.

Below is one additional photo of the Furuta home. Like the churches (and about a block of farm and gardens), the house is now surrounded by construction fencing -- mainly to keep the vandals out.
Wintersburg is the most important historic Asian-American community in O.C. of which there is any remaining physical evidence. It would be more than just a crying shame to see these landmarks destroyed.