Those who remember the enclosed Old Towne Mall in Torrance often remark on the quaintness of its old-time nostalgia vibe. The mall was built by developer Robert Brindle through his El Segundo-based Lincoln Realty Old Towne arrangement with Mik Brindle, Clifford Hemmerling and the Southern California Financial Corporation. Brindle’s firm wasn’t attempting to compete withContinue reading “Torrance’s Old Towne Mall developers wanted to add a lot more to the mix”
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The Palos Verdes Peninsula’s recreational options lured society’s upper crust in its early days
Horseback riding, golf, polo matches, faux fox hunts – all of them were popular pursuits among the high society set during the early development of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The taming of the Peninsula began with the sale of lots for Palos Verdes Estates in early 1923. At the time, there was little sign ofContinue reading “The Palos Verdes Peninsula’s recreational options lured society’s upper crust in its early days”
The long-lived National Supply Co. had roots in Torrance’s first industrial firm
By the time Jared Sydney Torrance publicly announced the founding of the city that bears his name in 1912, he had already arranged for two major industrial employers to establish operations there. In December 1911, the Pacific Electric Railway Co. agreed to build its maintenance facility there in return for 125 acres of land. TorranceContinue reading “The long-lived National Supply Co. had roots in Torrance’s first industrial firm”
Pann’s restaurant survives as one of a dying breed of Googie-style eateries
The Googie style of mid-century modern architecture got its name from Googie’s Coffee Shop, a Hollywood diner built in 1949. Architect John Lautner designed the building at the corner of Sunset and Crescent Heights boulevards, right next to Schwab’s drugstore. Lautner’s creation sported wildly angular roofs, giant glass walls, dayglo-bright neon signage and modernist interiors.Continue reading “Pann’s restaurant survives as one of a dying breed of Googie-style eateries”
Trading stamps once were all the rage in suburban South Bay and Harbor Area households
These days, we earn Starbucks bonus stars, Target Circle rewards and a host of other loyalty programs directly from individual retailers. Though they existed then, such programs were less commonplace during the mid-1900s, when trading stamp businesses were in their heyday. Retailers signed up with various trading stamp companies and gave out stamps to theirContinue reading “Trading stamps once were all the rage in suburban South Bay and Harbor Area households”
El Segundo takes its time to create a splendid setting for its public library
The Standard Oil Company of California essentially created the city of El Segundo when it opened its massive refinery there in late 1911. The company had purchased Frank Bennett’s 840-acre farm in June 1911 after its Richmond refinery in the Bay Area had reached its production capacity. I Standard, now known as Chevron USA, putContinue reading “El Segundo takes its time to create a splendid setting for its public library”
Wilmington Airport underwent a startling transformation in 1958
My recent post about Bay Cities Airport, a long-gone airfield in north Torrance, tipped me off to the presence of another one-time local airport further south in Wilmington. The Wilmington Airport opened in 1929 on roughly 80 acres of land west of Figueroa and L streets.The land was adjacent to Bixby Lake and the largerContinue reading “Wilmington Airport underwent a startling transformation in 1958”
Community group gets blowback for staging blackface minstrel show in Torrance
The sight of middle-class South Bay suburbanites donning blackface makeup in order to play roles in minstrel shows at the local high school auditorium benefit show seems wildly inappropriate by modern standards. But it wasn’t considered unusual until the early 1950s, when a groundswell of disapproval arose from civil rights groups calling attention to theContinue reading “Community group gets blowback for staging blackface minstrel show in Torrance”
East San Pedro School principal Mildred Walizer won hearts and minds on Terminal Island
Imagine an educator who meant so much to her students and their community that they renamed the school in her honor just five years after her death. Meet Mildred Walizer, who taught and later became principal at East San Pedro School on Terminal Island in the years before World War II. She was born MildredContinue reading “East San Pedro School principal Mildred Walizer won hearts and minds on Terminal Island”
For a few short years, two municipal airports operated in Torrance
Torrance Municipal Airport has become a fixture in the city over the years, though it has its detractors who complain mostly about noise pollution. It began humbly in 1941 with construction of the bare-bones Lomita Flight Strip by the U.S. government with the aim of encouraging the development of civil aviation. Just months later, itContinue reading “For a few short years, two municipal airports operated in Torrance”
