The post-World War II population boom in the South Bay, fueled by returning GIs and the rapid rise of the aerospace industry, posed a major challenge to its school systems in the 1950s. How would they accommodate the increasingly large numbers of students pouring through the doors of their schools? The South Bay Union HighContinue reading “Some still lament the loss of Aviation High School in Redondo Beach”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
One-time Redondo Beach Mayor Harry Brolaski’s unusually peripatetic life
According to Harry Brolaski, his life changed forever at the age of 18. The son of a riverboat owner and captain based in St. Louis, Missouri, Brolaski was born in January 1871. Years later, the self-described “green” teenager was on board his father’s docked ship, the Annie P. Silver, one evening when two men approachedContinue reading “One-time Redondo Beach Mayor Harry Brolaski’s unusually peripatetic life”
Why do they call it Walteria? Origins of some South Bay/Harbor Area place names
Among the many legacies left by the Spanish land grant families who once owned most of Southern California are a plethora of colorful place names, many of which we still use today. Redondo Beach, for instance, was once part of the Rancho Sausal Redondo land grant. “Redondo” means round in Spanish, and probably refers toContinue reading “Why do they call it Walteria? Origins of some South Bay/Harbor Area place names “
San Pedro’s South Shores housing development proved popular in the 1950s
Veteran real estate developer Fred W. Marlow was fresh from launching major home building projects in Westchester and upscale Windsor Hills when he began looking toward the San Pedro coastline for his next project. By then, he’d established ten real estate brokerage offices in the southwest Los Angeles County area, where the Marlow-Burns Development Co.Continue reading “San Pedro’s South Shores housing development proved popular in the 1950s”
Major 1953 North American Aviation strike was disruptive, but not that productive
When workers at North American Aviation went on strike on June 5, 1941, just months before the Pearl Harbor attack brought the U.S. into World War II, alarm bells went off in Washington, D.C. The company, founded in 1928 and headquartered at 5701 W. Imperial Blvd. at the southeastern edge of Los Angeles International Airport,Continue reading “Major 1953 North American Aviation strike was disruptive, but not that productive”
1979 Torrance Mobil Oil Refinery explosion and fire had tragic consequences
The last major accident to date at the Torrance oil refinery occurred a decade ago in 2015, when it was still being operated by ExxonMobil. Four workers were injured when a massive explosion destroyed the plant’s catalytic cracking unit and covered nearby cars and neighborhoods with ash and dust. A year later, PBF Energy boughtContinue reading “1979 Torrance Mobil Oil Refinery explosion and fire had tragic consequences”
Some ideas for using Alondra Park land didn’t work out, but others did
According to the official list kept by the Paris-based Bureau International des Expositions, World’s Fairs in 1938 were held in Berlin, Helsinki and Glasgow. Missing from that list: Alondra Park. I wrote about the history of the county park ten years ago, but I thought a look at some of the early plans for theContinue reading “Some ideas for using Alondra Park land didn’t work out, but others did”
The Big Ben department store may be long gone, but Torrance Towne Center still thrives
The origin of the present-day outdoor shopping center known as Torrance Towne Center can be traced to 1959. At the Sept. 8, 1959 Torrance City Council meeting, George L. Graziadio, represented Airport Plaza, Inc., a group of developers with combined assets of $8 million. On its behalf, he presented a proposal calling for the constructionContinue reading “The Big Ben department store may be long gone, but Torrance Towne Center still thrives”
The Gardena Buddhist church has endured for nearly 100 years despite challenges
The first Buddhist churches of any kind in the country were built in the Bay Area in the early 1850s by Chinese migrant workers who had come to the U.S. to work in the mining and railroad industries. The first Japanese Buddhist church in the U.S. was built in San Francisco much later, in 1899.Continue reading “The Gardena Buddhist church has endured for nearly 100 years despite challenges”
William Howard Taft remains the only U.S. President ever to visit San Pedro
A little less than a year after being elected the 27th president of the U.S. in 1908, William Howard Taft planned an official trip to Los Angeles that included visits to not only the city itself, but also to several of its outlying areas. These included the first, and so far, the only visit toContinue reading “William Howard Taft remains the only U.S. President ever to visit San Pedro”
