This history embraces four periods:
(1) Ancient history before the founding of Hawthorne in 1906
(2) From the founding to incorporation in 1922
(3) The building of the city from 1922 to 1940 and
(4) The progress made from 1940 to the golden Anniversary in 1972.
A large number of people helped on the project. A special tribute must be given to Leila Schlimmer, Rose Schwabauer, Cleona Crozier, and Grayce Kmieciak who served with me on the Golden Anniversary Historical Committee and opened many doors for interviews with citizens who lived and worked in Hawthorne during its formative years. All of them helped organize or were members of many clubs and took a prominent part in many civic functions. Mrs. Schwabauer was city treasurer for twenty years and treasurer of the Chamber of Commerce for seven years. Her scrapbook contained a goldmine of information.
Thanks must be given to C.D., “Pop” Morgan, Dr. Cecil Garton, the French brothers, Wayne, Jack, and Holt, and Walter Hawley for supplying pictures and documents. I am grateful to Wesley Simmons, Lou O’Rourke, Richard Kessler, and Hank Desmond for their assistance on information about annexations, city government, the municipal airport and the water department.
My thanks also to Ethel Odgers, Nina Fraser, Dr. Leo Fate, Dorothy Anderson, Viola Isaacs, and Bessie Carroll, who spent many hours relating to me the many incidents of early history appearing in this narrative.
I must pay special tribute to Mrs. John Scheliga, who gave me free access to her voluminous files of pictures and documents which she has been collecting for many years with the intention of writing a Hawthorne history. I sincerely hope Mrs. Scheliga will complete her worthwhile objective.
This history is not as complete as I would like; much important information has been precluded because of the limited time to get it ready. It is my hope that the information contained herein may be helpful in future stories of our city.
Robert S. Hartman
June 10, 1972
General Manager, Hawthorne Chamber of Commerce 1959-1971
Chairman, Golden Anniversary Historical Committee 1972
Published by: Hawthorne Chamber of Commerce
12438 Hawthorne Boulevard
Hawthorne, California 90250
1972
Ancient History – Before the Founding of Hawthorne
Some may think it is a far cry from the Plains of Abraham forty centuries ago to Hawthorne today – but it isn’t. From those plains, the westward march of civilization began. Seeking more land and opportunity, people immigrated to the western shores of Europe and for a thousand or more years, that coastline was virtually the edge of the world. During the 15th century, the world became too small. Faster and more convenient routes were needed to transport goods from the far east so they found a new world on the American continent – first along our eastern shores; then over the mountains and into the fertile valleys of the Mississippi; and finally across burning, blazing deserts and over the mighty Sierra Nevada Mountains to the shores of the Pacific. Here was the last frontier. Here the westward march of civilization ended, so we thought. This opinion persisted until a few years ago when modern science gave us the means of exploring frontiers hitherto undreamed of; this story will be told later in this history.
The name “California” was first used in a book entitled, “Las Sergas de Esplandian”, written by Garcia Ordones de Montelao and published in Spain in 1510. It was applied by Cortez to his colony at Lapas (lower California) in 1537.
The first European explorer who is known to have visited what is now California was Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo, who voyaged along the coast as far north as Point Concepcion in 1542. He discovered San Diego Bay and visited other islands along the coast, including Catalina Island. Thus, it seems that his landing was seventy-eight years before the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock. Sir Frances Drake sailed past the nearby coast in 1572 or 1573. At this period, it is believed that the first residents (three or more centuries before Hawthorne became a city) were Indians of the Shosonian linguistic group. The first land expedition of white men passed through the present day Hawthorne area on a march from San Diego to Monterey, under the command of Gaspar de Portola of the Spanish army.
In 1769 the title to all land in California became vested in the King of Spain. At about this time, our lands were used for the grazing of cattle; the richly-grassed black soil provided excellent pasture and abundant water was available from a stream fed by springs that flowed through the present cities of Playa del Rey, Inglewood, and El Segundo.
In 1822 Mexico obtained title to California from Spain and the first private land concessions followed shortly thereafter. One of these concessions was described as the Sausal Redondo, which means “round clump of willows”. The rights for its use caused dispute and much controversy for over thirty years. The area occupied by present day Hawthorne was a part of the Sausal Redondo and the various claims and counter-claims are essentially a part of Hawthorne’s history. The principal cause of dispute regarding Sausal Redondo emanated from the vague terms used in describing its boundaries and the various interpretations by different Mexican governors of the conditions outlined in the concessions and grants.
Antonio Ygnacio Avila was the first recorded user of the Sausal Redondo and is, therefore, the first known individual to obtain rights, as vague as they may have been, to the area bounded by the present City of Hawthorne. In 1822 he obtained permission from Captain Noriega, Mexican military commander with headquarters in Santa Barbara, to build a corral and keep his stock on the Sausal Redondo. In 1852 when the United States Land Commission held hearings for the purpose of defining precise boundaries, a Jose Antonio Carrillo testified that he had known the land called Sausal Redondo for thirty-two years, that he knew what was recognized as the boundaries, and that Antonio Avilla had been “loaned” the land “about twenty-five years ago”. Carrillo also testified that Avila had grazed his 3,000 head of cattle throughout the ranch and had planted the first vineyards, cornfields and fruit trees. The Avila name is well known in California history. Antonio’s father, Cornelio Avila, settled in the Pueblo of Los Angeles in 1783 and had five sons. One built the famous Avila adobe on Olvera Street in Los Angeles.
The Sausal Redondo comprised approximately 22,460 acres and included the present cities of Hawthorne, Inglewood, Playa del Rey, Lawndale, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance and Gardena. The first road through the area extended from Los Angeles along the western boundaries of Hawthorne to the salt pond near Redondo Beach. Each week a wagon made the two-day round trip from Los Angeles for the vital supply of salt. Avila built his home near springs in the present city of Inglewood.
In 1833 over the protests of Avila, a Mexican council in charge of land in California, gave provisional title on a small portion of the Sausal Redondo to a Don Ygnacio Machado, who had simply moved into land that Avila was not using. This portion contained no part of Hawthorne and has little importance in this history, other than the fact that the Sausal Redondo was slightly diminished in acreage. In 1837 Governor Alvarado, in the name of Mexico, granted Avila title to the Sausal Redondo. In 1844 Governor Micheltorena gave provisional title to the small portion occupied by Machado which was then called the Rancho Aquaje de la Centinela. This ranch was later purchased from Machado by Bruno Avila, the brother of Antonio.
In 1848 the treaty of Guadalupe Hildalgo was negotiated by Mexico and the United States, and California became a territory of the United States government. In 1850 California was admitted to the Union and the disputes and claims started all over again. In 1851 the government created a board of land commissioners to pass on land titles. Avila’s petition was accepted by the commission and in 1855 was confirmed by the United States District Court. For the first time in our history the land was surveyed by government agents, the precise boundaries recorded, and a patent was issued during the administration of President Grant.
Thus, Avila became the first legal and recorded owner of the land of present day Hawthorne.
In 1860, just before the outbreak of the Civil War, Sir Robert Burnett of Crathe’s Castle, Scotland, came to California on a visit. Intrigued by the weather and Spanish atmosphere, Sir Robert determined to be a rancher and purchased the Sausal Redondo for $30,000.00 ($1.28 an acre) from the heirs of Avila. (Avila had died in 1858.) The Scottish nobleman took immediate possession of his vast domain and expanded the sheep and cattle raising operations to a marked degree. One of his first projects was a plan to plant thousands of eucalyptus, pepper, and fruit trees.
Ancient History – Before the Founding of Hawthorne
In 1873, Burnett decided to sell the ranch and return to Scotland. There are many stories as to why he lost his fancy for ranching, but the one seeming most accurate was the Lady Burnett grew homesick for her native land and wished to spend her last years there.
Daniel Freeman, a Canadian, leased Sausal Redondo in 1873, for a yearly rental of $7,500.00 with an option to buy for $150,000. This document was recorded and is available for inspection today. Freeman came to California after reading a popular book of the time entitled, “California: for Health, Pleasure and Residence,” written by a Charles Nordhoff. Freeman inspected a number of ranches in San Gabriel and San Fernando and chose the Sausal Redondo because he believed the cool air and the view of the mountains would be beneficial to Mrs. Freeman’s health. The ranch took on new life with the occupancy of Freeman, his wife and their three children.
Freeman restocked the ranch with sheep and continued Burnett’s plan of planting trees. He put out 1,500 eucalyptus and pepper trees, 7,000 orange trees, 1,800 lemons, 2,000 almonds, 400 lime and 300 olive trees. Some of these trees are still living today and, as late as the beginning of the present century, a considerable group of the fruit trees were standing the western part of Hawthorne. He also developed the underground water sources throughout the entire ranch by building windmills.He began a program of raising horses, among the best in the area. His children, Charles and Grace, were known to ride all day through the fields of wildflowers extending on all sides of the salt road to the ocean. There were poppies, lupine, wild mustard, wild horseradish and pink verbena.
In 1875 and 1876, a severe drought caused a great loss of Freeman stock comprising over 50,000 head of sheep and cattle. Two seasons without rain killed thousands of animals.
Twenty-two thousand head drowned in the sea, of which ten thousand jumped off the cliffs of present day Palos Verdes. Freeman saved the remainder of his herd by driving the animals into the mountains. As a result of this disaster, Freeman started dry farming and grew barley. These golden fields stretched as far as the sea and produced a million bushes annually, some of which were shipped around the Horn to Europe.
From Founding to Incorporation
Twelve years elapsed before Freeman used his option to buy the Sausal Redondo and secured a deed. On May 4, 1885 Sir Robert Burnett and Lady Burnett executed the final instrument that transferred title to Freeman. The recorded documents show the sale price of $140,000. (About 1882 he had purchased a small portion of the land for $22,242.)
No accurate records are available as to why Freeman waited so long to exercise his option but when he finally decided to make the purchase, his decision was undoubtedly resolved by the fact that a railroad route was being surveyed which would run right through the ranch to Redondo Beach. The city of Los Angeles had great need of lumber and other building commodities which were being brought to a wharf at Redondo. Civic-spirited men who had confidence in the future of Southern California believed that a railroad would be of great aid to commerce and industry. An excerpt from the 1940 issue of “The Quarterly Historical Society of Southern California,” written by Glen S. Dumke, supplies the following information:
“The earliest interurban line of any importance was the Los Angeles-Redondo Railway. It was originally a narrow-gauge steam line running from Los Angeles to Redondo Beach by way of Sunnyside, Athens, and Gardena, starting from the corner of Jefferson and Grand. It maintained this status from 1889 to 1903 when it was electrified. Later, Henry Huntington bought a controlling interest after which the company used the tracks of the Los Angeles Railway to its terminal at Second and Spring Streets. Two additions to this railway became important parts of the large interurban systems, one was known as the Inglewood Extension; this ran from the terminal to join the Pacific Electric at Belvedere, passing through Inglewood, Hawthorne, and Lawndale. It was laid in 1902.”
In 1887 several groups of investors from Los Angeles, Pasadena, and Monrovia encouraged by the narrow-gauge railroad which was then being built, organized several corporations and companies and purchased large amounts of acreage from Freeman for the purpose of laying out towns and cities, installing water and gas works, mains and reservoirs. The charters of many of these companies have been preserved for the record. One of them was the Hawthorne Land Company. This marked the beginning of the end of Sausal Redondo as a ranch.
The Founding Of Hawthorne
Hawthorne was founded by B.L. Harding and H.D. Lombard, who began the development of the city in 1905 by purchasing acreage from the land company and creating the Hawthorne Improvement Company. The name “Hawthorne” was chosen by the daughter of Harding, Mrs. Laurine Woolwine, who shared her birthday with author Nathaniel Hawthorne. The company planned an 80-acrea townsite; the first plot was recorded January 3, 1906, and the first land sale was made in July of that year. There were only three company dwellings at that time. The first settlers who began building in November of 1906 were Mr. and Mrs. W.J. Anderson. Their son Glenn is the present Congressman from the California 17th District, and a former Lt. Governor of California. The Hawthorne Improvement Company advertised Hawthorne as the town “between the City and the Sea”, built and sold homes on small down and long time payments. Special appeals were made to those who wished to raise poultry and grow vegetables.
From Founding to Incorporation
Residence lots were offered at $200, business lots of $350, orchard plots from $600 to $1,500 depending on size, and acreage at $400 and up. Broadway was plotted as the main street with a circular park, 200 feet radius, in the middle. The Plaza was landscaped in date palms, oleander and acacia trees. The western border of the town, running north and south for 430 yards, was a 20-foot wide dirt path destined to become Hawthorne Boulevard. Today that path is a major highway, one of the widest streets in Southern California, and with a landscaped center strip for parking, is famous as the world’s longest parking lot, extending three miles southward from Imperial Boulevard to beyond Rosecrans Avenue.
Many of the Street names originally devised by the company would not now be recognized by Hawthorne citizens. There were no numbered east-west streets. The present Imperial Highway was named Bellview; 116th Street was named Miramar; 118th Street was called Wallace; 119th Street was named Kenwood; 120th Street was called Raymond; 122nd Street was called Euclid; 126th Street was called Lennox; 129th Street was named Main; El Segundo Boulevard was originally named Ballona. The north-south streets of Hawthorne Boulevard, Inglewood Avenue, Menlo, Birch, and Oxford have retained their original names. However Crenshaw was called Cypress; Prairie was named Centennalia, and Grevillea was Sausal.
In 1906 the dozen or so children of school age in the Hawthorne area walked to the Wiseburn School. By 1908 a school was started in a small building on Acacia that served both as a church and a school. The school had about 16 pupils ranging from kindergarten ages to 18 years old.
From Founding to Incorporation
In 1908, one of the first business establishments was a small grocery store on Hawthorne Boulevard. Meat was delivered by wagon 3 times a week from the Inglewood area.
Another pioneer business establishment was the MB Garton store, post office
and real estate office. It was located at Hawthorne Boulevard and Raymond
(120th) at the northeast corner.
1908 TO INCORPORATION IN 1922
From 1907 to 1920, population increased to over 2,000 residents. Their day-to-day needs and services were reflected by a slowly increasing business community. Jack Ramage, later to be elected Mayor of Hawthorne in 1929, started the first drug store near Broadway and Hawthorne Boulevard. The hardware store was next door. John Barton was the first plumber in Hawthorne and his sons, George and Loren, assisted him in the business. The Becker Bakery later improved to a grocery, meat market and vegetable store, was located a few doors north of Broadway on the west side of Hawthorne Boulevard. Alexander’s General Store was one of the first establishments on Broadway, just a few doors west of Hawthorne Boulevard. A real estate office was located on the southwest corner of Broadway and Hawthorne Boulevard. Midway between Broadway and the present 126th Street, which was not yet cut through, on the west side of the street just south of the present railroad tracks was the Hawthorne Funeral Parlor. Clark’s Feed Store was located where the present Bank of America is now standing. On the east side of Hawthorne Boulevard at the southeast corner of Hawthorne and Broadway was Coe’s Restaurant, which was a gathering place for school children as well as residents who took their sandwiches and lemonade to the mission depot where they could sit on the benches, eat their food, and relax. (See photo below)
The depot sat squarely in the middle of Hawthorne Boulevard in front of the present location of the Chamber of Commerce at 12438 Hawthorne Boulevard. The red cars to Redondo and to El Segundo, as well as the earlier steam trains, used the station as one of their main stops. Another prominent building of this era was the hotel built on Acacia to house workers in the furniture and glove factories nearby. This hotel still stands in the 12100 block on Acacia.
On the west side of Hawthorne Boulevard between the railroad and Broadway was the Combs Bakery. Next to it was Nelson’s Dry Goods, which later moved to Broadway Circle, which was then called the Plaza.
Original maps of Hawthorne Land Company show the Plaza with its large planting of oleanders, trees, and other shrubs, to be the circle at the intersection of Broadway and Acacia. When the Plaza Theatre was built just one block south this section gradually became known as Plaza Square and the original Plaza is now known as Broadway Circle. A post office was established at Hawthorne Boulevard and Raymond (120th St).
Hawthorne’s first theatre, the Rex, was built on the north side of Broadway, midway between Hawthorne Boulevard and the Plaza (See left photo) The dry goods store had a room on the second floor and the first civic meetings were held in this room.
The Ballona School, a wooden frame building, was built on Ballona Street (El Segundo Boulevard) with the entrance on Washington Street. Many years later a brick building was added facing Ballona but an earthquake damaged the building to such an extent that it was declared unsafe and was torn down and replaced by a building now known as the Washington School.
During reconstruction, many long-time residents remember that the students studied in tents until the new building was finished.
A private water company built two water towers at the northeast corner of El Segundo and Hawthorne Boulevards. The source of supply was artesian wells.
The first and only blacksmith shop, owned by the Vellarde family and located at Kenwood (119th St) and Birch. (right photo) The Slough which is now underground and crosses Prairie at 132nd St. is visible in the foreground with the wooden sidewalks used in that era. Some of our elder citizens still remember fishing in the slough.
The first electric service came to Hawthorne in 1910. A copy of the original agreement between Hawthorne citizens and the electric company is still available. There were fewer than 200 citizens using the electric service, but in the years from 1912 to 1922, the date of incorporation, poles and lines were extended by the company. At the time of incorporation, over 500 residents recall that even those homes having electricity, in many instances, continued to use their coal oil lamps to keep electricity bills to a minimum.
Upper left: M.B. Garten real estate office, near the southwest corner of Broadway and Hawthorne. (1922 photo)
Upper Right:
The interior of the Garten store. Note the coffee grinder and the large oil lamps hanging from the ceiling.
Center Left:
The artesian well and the towers of the first water company, privately owned, at the northeast corner of Ballona (El Segundo Bl.) and Hawthorne Blvd. A small section of the Ballona school can be seen at the left. Estimated date of photo: 1908
Center Right:
First filling station at the southwest corner of Hawthorne and Broadway.
Lower Left:
A 1921-22 photo of Hawthorne’s first mortuary operated by a Mr. Gilliland on the present site of the Bank of America parking lot, just a few feet south of the railroad tracks. At far left is a small section of the Clark feed store located where the Bank building now stands.
Lower Right:
First barber shop, on Broadway just west of Hawthorne Blvd, and in the area of where Anita Shop now stands.
Upper Left: A 1934 photo of Hawthorne Blvd looking north from about 133rd St. The first 20 foot wide strip of pavement is visible on the right; the dirt section appears to be rolled and oiled.
Upper Right: Hawthorne Blvd. about 1941 looking south from about where the Bank of America parking lot is today. The Brown Building (extreme left) was used as quarters for the City Clerk and City Treasurer in the early 1930s.
A post card distributed by the Chamber of Commerce in the early 1920s.
In 1915, street bonds were offered to the general public in order to finance the grading and laying out of many Hawthorne streets. These dirt streets were packed down by a heavy roller and then oiled in order to keep down the dust. Old records indicate annual purchases of hundreds of barrels of oil for this purpose. The first paved street was a 20 foot strip on the east side of Hawthorne Boulevard, and although no accurate records are available, it is believed that this paving occurred about 1918. The photo below of Hawthorne Boulevard and Raymond (120th) was taken in 1910.
1922 to 1938
By 1921 the population had reached the astounding figure of 2,000, and a group of civic-spirited citizens instituted public meetings for the purpose of incorporating the city. An important segment of the population voiced opposition to this move but those citizens in favor of incorporation outnumbered the dissidents, and on July 12, 1922 Hawthorne was established as a sixth class city with a council form of government. The first City Council was composed of C.C. Butler, Mayor and Messrs. Lorig, Mason, Haylett and Hillhouse. Many of our present citizens remember that day when a sleepy little village suddenly became a city, a city that 40 years later was called “The City of Good Neighbors,” and was destined to become an extremely vital area for the manufacture of hardware to probe the Universe. In 1962 the Chamber of Commerce adopted the slogan � “Space Theatre of Operations” � and this slogan is still used by the Hawthorne Chamber of Commerce.
Growth during the city’s formative years was slow and unspectacular. On two occasions a group of Hawthorne citizens attempted to disincorporate but both these attempts failed. In November, 1929 a petition was presented to the Los Angeles City Council for an annexation election but Los Angeles was quite worried at that time about its water supply and declined any annexations. In 1934 a group forced an election for disincorporation but it was defeated. The victory was celebrated in the streets of Hawthorne by bonfires and other joyous exhibitions which were climaxed by hanging in effigy the John Does who initiated the disincorporation proceedings.
In the 1920’s many streets were graded and oiled by the Oswald brothers who kept a herd of mules where the Northrop Corporation is now located to pull the plows and scrapers necessary for this work. Citizens who were affluent enough to have automobiles (there were 12 automobiles registered in 1921) can remember being stuck and asking the Oswald brothers to provide a couple of mules to pull their cars out of the mud. It is interesting to note that of these 12 car owners, seven of them owned Model T Fords which cost $260 each. Of the other five owners, one had a Stutz, one an Essex, one a Franklin, one a Marmon and one a Reo.
THE FIRST POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS
The first police department was created in 1922, consisting of four officers. One of the qualifications to secure such a job was the ability to provide a motorcycle. A group of 12 citizens created a volunteer fire department in 1922. At that time, the equipment consisted of a 1921 touring car with a ladder strapped to the side, and a back seat filled with water buckets and a garden hose. (left photo) The firemen that could not ride on the car carried wet sacks in their private cars. In 1927 the two departments were combined. In 1924, a fire hydrant system was installed. Once again the 12 charter members of the fire department appealed to the citizens for funds to purchase the first pumper unit to be in service in the city. Their original goal was to buy a fire engine, but they found that there was enough money left over to purchase a lot and build a fire station. This lot and station were deeded to the city. At the time to new station was opened, two full time firemen were hired as part of the police department.
HAWTHORNE POLICE RESERVE
This organization was incorporated in 1950 and is composed of 50 to 60 active reservists, 21 years and over. Many of them are businessmen of the community. The police reserve maintains a rigorous training schedule and is required to achieve standards equal to those of the police department. Officers are a chief, a coordinator and various sergeants. The Hawthorne Police Reserve gave the training program at the 1972 National Convention in Texas.
As the city increased in size, the need for an organized society asserted itself. In 1923 the building department was created with one inspector working part time, his salary being the revenue derived from the building permits issued.
Our 1928 Police Department: (from left to right) Bill Deal, Vern Craig, B. Robertson, Jim Fones, and Councilman Joe Mackey. |
Motorcycle police during the 1930s: (from left to right) Jack Baumgartner, unidentified officer, Bill Deal (Chief), Tommy Cummings, unidentified officer. |
The Hawthorne Water Department was created in 1924 by the purchase of two privately owned water companies which operated in 1905, and the Consolidated Water Company, which had been serving a new subdivision known as the Bellview-Fairfax tract in the northern limits of the city. Source of the water supply during these first corporative years was deep wells. The engineering department was created in 1925 when the first city engineer, a Mr. Staley, was appointed. The Hawthorne Advertiser press published its first edition in 1922 from an office located on East Broadway.
Hawthorne’s first bank, The First Exchange State Bank, opened its doors on the northeast corner of 126th Street and Hawthorne Boulevard in the building that still stands there. Due to unwise investments in stocks, the president and vice president of the bank received prison terms, and the bank failed in 1932. A number of suits were filed to recover monies deposited in the bank but most depositors received 35 cents or less on the dollar, except the post office and the City of Hawthorne; the Court declared that these two were preferred depositors and awarded them the full amount of their deposits. The Bank of Inglewood eventually located there and was later bought out by the Bank of America who operated there until they built their new building directly across the street at the northwest corner of 126th and Hawthorne Boulevard.
Incorporation – The building of the city from 1922 to 1940 – Page 16 of 33
In 1926 the post office began city delivery service from a location at 119 West Broadway. Prior to the beginning of delivery service, citizens picked up their mail from boxes at various post office locations throughout the city. The first office was located in a small store on Hawthorne Boulevard near Raymond Avenue, which is now 120th Street. This office was established on October 25, 1908 with Hallie C. Tansey serving as the first postmaster until 1909 when Martin B. Garton was named postmaster. Garton was succeeded by his brother, William, who served until 1915 and again from 1916 to 1927. Successive postmasters were James A. Rankin, Charles E. Van Der Oef, Arthur F. White, and Walter E. Neilson. Neilson retired in 1969 after 34 years of postal service. In 1937 because of flooded streets, the post office with 10 employees, was moved during the winter season to the Nelson Building on Acacia Avenue. From there it was moved to 266 North Hawthorne Boulevard. In 1942 quarters were leased in the Forrest Building until 1956 when another location was established at 12209 South Hawthorne Way. In 1970 a new post office was dedicated at 12700 South Inglewood Avenue with workable floor space of 40,000 square feet, a land area of 136,000 square feet and 160 employees serving 55 city delivery routes and five parcel post routes, requiring 20 vehicles
Aerial view of Hawthorne, probably about 1925, taken in a plane flying just north of the present site of Hawthorne High School. Looking east across Hawthorne Boulevard, several buildings still standing are visible. Just below the Plaza at Hawthorne Boulevard and Broadway, the Reynolds Building is slightly to the left and the Mastin building slightly to the right. Trees along Prairie and El Segundo can be seen at the top of the picture and the open space of land bounded by those trees appears to be an excellent site for the location of Northrop Aircraft Company and the airport which came a decade or more later.
The first hospital care was in a residence on the south side of Broadway just a few doors west of Hawthorne Boulevard. It was operated by a Mrs. Dinsmore. In 1926 with the help of one of Hawthorne’s early physicians, Dr. Leo Fate, Mrs. Dinsmore purchased property on the present site of Hawthorne Community Hospital and built a hospital complete with ten rooms for patients, a room for surgery and an office for the admission of patients. Although carpenters, plumbers and other craftsmen were employed, Mrs. Dinsmore literally helped build the hospital by doing carpentry work, painting and installing linoleum on the floors.
Incorporation – The building of the city from 1922 to 1940 – Page 17 of 33
Citizens in these days provided most of their own recreation. Their favorite parlor games were mahjong and checkers. If one enjoyed dancing or swimming, the Red Car was taken to Redondo which was quite a tourish attraction because of its salt water swimming pool and dance hall. It was a time when people would gather at each other’s homes for parties and if anyone was affluent enough to own a piano or play a musical instrument of any kind, the popular songs of the day were “Sweet Adeline”, “Down by the old Mill Stream”, “Toot Toot Tootsie Good-bye”, “Barney Google”, “The Lost Chord”, “The End of a Perfect Day”, and “The World is Waiting for the Sunrise”. Baseball fans had their idol in Babe Ruth, the Sultan of Swat, whose home runs for the New York Yankees made national headlines. Bill Tilden was the star of the tennis set, Johnny Weissmuller was the idol of swimmers and Jack Dempsey was the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion of the world. For months before he won the title from Jess Willard in 1919, sports columns were filled with articles debating whether a good little man could defeat a good big man. Dempsey weighed 187 pounds and Jess Willard weighed 245 pounds.
Silent movies were also a recreational diversion. Hawthorne had two movie houses, the Rex on Broadway and the Plaza located on Hawthorne Circle, one and a half blocks south of the Plaza. When the Rex Theatre was in existence, admission was 30 cents for adults, 10 cents for children. Featured were such films as “The Three Musketeers,” starring Douglas Fairbanks, Betty Compson in “The Green Temptation”, little Jackie Coogan in “Trouble”, and the matinee idol of the time, Rudolph Valentino, in “The Sheik”.
An ad in the September, 1932 edition of the “Shopper” advertised the personal appearance of movie star Richard Arlen in the film, “Guilty as Hell”. Presentations in the following weeks starred Jack Holt and Lila Lee in “War Correspondent”, Frank Buck in “Bring ‘Em Back Alive”, and Ann Dvorak in “The Crooner”. Each of these presentations included a newsreel of world and national events, several vaudeville acts and a stage bank.
Cost of living remained fairly stable during the first ten years of incorporation. Ads in the 1931 newspaper featured bedsteads and gas ranges at $3.00 each at the Community Store at 343 North Hawthorne Boulevard. Home-to-Home ice service was available at 127 West El Segundo from 6am until 9:30pm, every day of the week. Anderson’s Shoe Shop, 109 East Broadway, offered oxfords at $2.50; Cleopha’s Department Store, 325 North Hawthorne Boulevard, offered women’s sweaters for $1.00 and high school dresses for $1.25. Woodman Bros. at Hawthorne Boulevard and 114th Street advertised coffee at 18 cents a pound, soup at 9 cents a can, leg of lamb at 15 cents a pound, grapefruit at 1 cent each and honeydew melons at 3 for 10 cents. The Forrest Market at the corner of El Segundo and Hawthorne Boulevards was not to be outdone. Their ad featured pork roast at 7� cents a pound, short ribs at 3� cents a pound, and 8 pounds of apples for 25 cents. Jordan’s Auto Electric, at the northwest corner of El Segundo and Hawthorne Boulevards, offered gasoline at 12 cents a gallon and rebuilt tires for $2.80 each. Cash and Carry Hardware and Paint Market, 303 North Hawthorne Boulevard, had a special sale on light bulbs at 7 cents each and bamboo rakes at 14 cents each. Several real estate firms advertised homes for a monthly payment of $10.00.
Incorporation – The building of the city from 1922 to 1940 – Page 17 of 33
Citizens in these days provided most of their own recreation. Their favorite parlor games were mahjong and checkers. If one enjoyed dancing or swimming, the Red Car was taken to Redondo which was quite a tourish attraction because of its salt water swimming pool and dance hall. It was a time when people would gather at each other’s homes for parties and if anyone was affluent enough to own a piano or play a musical instrument of any kind, the popular songs of the day were “Sweet Adeline”, “Down by the old Mill Stream”, “Toot Toot Tootsie Good-bye”, “Barney Google”, “The Lost Chord”, “The End of a Perfect Day”, and “The World is Waiting for the Sunrise”. Baseball fans had their idol in Babe Ruth, the Sultan of Swat, whose home runs for the New York Yankees made national headlines. Bill Tilden was the star of the tennis set, Johnny Weissmuller was the idol of swimmers and Jack Dempsey was the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion of the world. For months before he won the title from Jess Willard in 1919, sports columns were filled with articles debating whether a good little man could defeat a good big man. Dempsey weighed 187 pounds and Jess Willard weighed 245 pounds.
Silent movies were also a recreational diversion. Hawthorne had two movie houses, the Rex on Broadway and the Plaza located on Hawthorne Circle, one and a half blocks south of the Plaza. When the Rex Theatre was in existence, admission was 30 cents for adults, 10 cents for children. Featured were such films as “The Three Musketeers,” starring Douglas Fairbanks, Betty Compson in “The Green Temptation”, little Jackie Coogan in “Trouble”, and the matinee idol of the time, Rudolph Valentino, in “The Sheik”.
An ad in the September, 1932 edition of the “Shopper” advertised the personal appearance of movie star Richard Arlen in the film, “Guilty as Hell”. Presentations in the following weeks starred Jack Holt and Lila Lee in “War Correspondent”, Frank Buck in “Bring ‘Em Back Alive”, and Ann Dvorak in “The Crooner”. Each of these presentations included a newsreel of world and national events, several vaudeville acts and a stage bank.
Cost of living remained fairly stable during the first ten years of incorporation. Ads in the 1931 newspaper featured bedsteads and gas ranges at $3.00 each at the Community Store at 343 North Hawthorne Boulevard. Home-to-Home ice service was available at 127 West El Segundo from 6am until 9:30pm, every day of the week. Anderson’s Shoe Shop, 109 East Broadway, offered oxfords at $2.50; Cleopha’s Department Store, 325 North Hawthorne Boulevard, offered women’s sweaters for $1.00 and high school dresses for $1.25. Woodman Bros. at Hawthorne Boulevard and 114th Street advertised coffee at 18 cents a pound, soup at 9 cents a can, leg of lamb at 15 cents a pound, grapefruit at 1 cent each and honeydew melons at 3 for 10 cents. The Forrest Market at the corner of El Segundo and Hawthorne Boulevards was not to be outdone. Their ad featured pork roast at 7� cents a pound, short ribs at 3� cents a pound, and 8 pounds of apples for 25 cents. Jordan’s Auto Electric, at the northwest corner of El Segundo and Hawthorne Boulevards, offered gasoline at 12 cents a gallon and rebuilt tires for $2.80 each. Cash and Carry Hardware and Paint Market, 303 North Hawthorne Boulevard, had a special sale on light bulbs at 7 cents each and bamboo rakes at 14 cents each. Several real estate firms advertised homes for a monthly payment of $10.00.
Incorporation – The building of the city from 1922 to 1940 – Page 19 of 33
But if the experts are to be believed, his creative abilities to shape metals into beautiful objects and patterns equaled the craftsmanship of Cellini and the famed silversmith, Paul Revere. He had a smelter on Hawthorne Boulevard near 120th Street and a home on Freeman just south of the railroad. Both were filled with his artistic creations. Some of those remembered were a beautiful girl milking a goat, a half man and half animal; and his “Door of Life”, a 700-pound creation that disappeared for years but is presently displayed at the Inglewood Park Cemetery. He had Hawthorne’s first swimming pool and instead of filling it with water, he put his treasures there and covered them with several feet of earth to avoid theft. During the First World War, he buried the door for fear the government, searching for scrap copper, would take it from him. The wall around his home was unique; he collected discarded water heaters, set them in cement for columns, installed ironwork between them over which he molded plaster figurines for decoration. Before coming to Hawthorne in 1916, he taught art and metal sculpture at the University of California in Berkeley. He and the famous author, Jack London, lived at the Peano home which was a tourist attraction, with its fluted columns. He died in Hawthorne a few years after the city’s incorporation.
During the first two decades after incorporation, Hawthorne suffered some setbacks. In the 1930’s approximately 3000 parcels of property were tax delinquent, some available at $1 each. The parcels were sold by the County to the State which, in turn, sold them back the County which transferred the parcels to the welfare board at a very low fee. A great many indigent families rented these lots for $5 monthly. Most of the renters constructed shacks to live in and used the land for growing vegetables and other produce. Forty-five percent of the population of Hawthorne was on relief in 1935-36.
Hawthorne had another problem during this period; gambling and all its side effects secured a strong hold on the community. For a time this lawless element infiltrated many of the public service agencies and was virtually running the city. During this period, the weekly newspaper changed hands and the new publisher started a vigorous campaign to eliminate the evil. With the help of civic leaders, a proposal to eradicate gambling was put on the ballot in 1942. Although the gambling interests contested the proposal with every means possible, the citizens voted them out.
A small “oil boom” along Inglewood Avenue came about during this period and several derricks inspired investors to purchase property. No one struck oil and these properties also became tax delinquent.
Another type of problem confronted the city for many years – the accumulation of flood waters during each rainfall. The intersection of Hawthorne Boulevard and Broadway was often deluged with a lake of water. It was a common sight to witness boats traversing the area and vehicles stalled in the water and mud. Such conditions caused much property damage and an important loss of revenue to the business firms. The problem was further complicated by the fact that Hawthorne Boulevard was a state highway controlled by the state. The County of Los Angeles was responsible for flood control. After several years of public meetings and protest hearings, the city, aided by the chamber of commerce, succeeded in eliminating the flood conditions, and in 1952 the boulevard underwent major improvements which included paving of the center islands for parking strips.
Incorporation – The building of the city from 1922 to 1940 – Page 20 of 33
CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS
A French Ambassador giving his impressions of the USA in a speech at the National Press Club in 1921 stated: “Americans are fantastic people. If there is a local problem, the citizens call a meeting, serve coffee, sing songs and adopt resolutions, then turn the matter over to the some club or a committee. And even more fantastic� they usually solve the problem.”
The Ambassador really zeroed in on an American characteristic so descriptive of our progressive city. Civic spirit is an American tradition and Hawthorne is no exception. Local clubs and organizations were being organized long before incorporation. In 1916 the Rotary Club was organized by the late Judge Frank Parent, and its first president was Jordan E. Dunaway. In 1917, the Women’s Club was organized with Mrs. O.W. Murray as its first president. The club held its first meetings in the Jones Building (corner of 126th and Hawthorne Boulevard). Then they bought a small church building on Menlo Avenue, later moving the building to Birch and remodeling it. When the Women’s Club bought land and built a new club house in 1930, which still stands at 121st Street and Birch Avenue, the remodeled church was sold to the Knights of Columbus and is still standing. Over 80 clubs and organizations operate in Hawthorne. These include the Lions, Elks, Eagles, Odd Fellow, Women’s Club, Quota Club, Business and Professional Women’s Club, American Legion and several other veterans groups, youth groups, senior citizens, organizations of teachers, policemen, firemen, realtors, friends of the library, a gem and mineral club for rock hounds, a symphony association, Kiwanians, Rotarians, two Optimists Clubs, and their activities are endless. A Hawthorne area youth band and majorette corps has been honored with many awards and has played twice in the Hollywood Bowl. The Southwest Community Health Clinic provides low cost dental and medical health services to needy youngsters. The Hawthorne Kiwanis Club is the founder of the Hawthorne Community Fair and Parade. The Lions Club has its annual Fight for Young campaign and many objectives for aid to the blind. The American Legion points with justifiable pride to its annual band review which is rated as one of the biggest events for high school bands in California. Little League baseball and junior league football are programs to use the energy of youth and are made possible by civic-spirited parents and businessmen. The auxiliary of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, organized March 1949, has grown to over 500 members. The drill team won the national championship at Denver in 1954, spends much effort in charities and Christmas baskets for the needy. The Hawthorne Business and Professional Women’s Club organized in 1932, conducts an annual Youth Clinic to educate and inform young women about the talents needed in various professions and how to become proficient and climb to greater heights in their chosen fields.
Unfortunately, space does not permit an accolade to the dozens of other projects promoted by our citizens for the benefit of their community.
Incorporation – The building of the city from 1922 to 1940 – Page 21 of 33
Incorporation – The building of the city from 1922 to 1940 – Page 22 of 33
Incorporation – The building of the city from 1922 to 1940 – Page 23 of 33
Progress made from 1940 to the Golden Anniversary in 1972 – Page 24 of 33
There are no records available as to the exact date that the Chamber of Commerce was organized. A 1916 booklet on the Hawthorne Chamber of Commerce Constitution and By-Laws reveals that W.M. Dudley was the President that year, Dr. G.H. Hayes was the first Vice President, C.C. Butler was the Second Vice President, and A.H. Smithers was Secretary. The telephone number was 42. Forty-two charter members were listed, including several ladies.
On three occasions, the last being in 1955, the Chamber was liquidated because of lack of sufficient funds to maintain the many projects devoted to public service and pay a full time manager and office secretary. The present Chamber was reorganized in 1959 with the help of the city, and spends one third of its funds for maps, pamphlets, and other public information projects. Since the organization has operated on a solid financial basis, over 400 business firms are now members and pay annual dues based on the number of employees.
In spite of the vicissitudes encountered through the years, the Chamber of Commerce has a splendid record of achievement. When the 1915 street bonds were liquidated, the Chamber spearheaded a large celebration for this event. The list of objectives over the years includes welcome calls on new businessmen, installation of benches for bus passengers, a program to repair holes and obstructions on the sidewalks, traffic surveys, and several programs aimed at helping young people select careers. In these programs many industries have cooperated in seminars at the high schools where experts from all branches of employment have given guidance to students on necessary education to qualify for specific jobs. Annual Christmas programs have been promoted, with Santa Claus coming in by helicopter and distributing free candy and balloons to children. During Christmas season trams were provided to facilitate shopping along Hawthorne Boulevard, operating on regular schedule from Imperial Highway to Rosecrans at no charge. There is the Park-a-Tot project at Washington School where shopping mothers may park their tots to be entertained with free movies and other features. Annual buffet suppers have been promoted to honor new residents and acquaint them with the community, with flowers personally delivered to merchants and residents in newly annexed areas. After the Memorial Building was completed, a special committee was organized to investigate the advantages of conventions and shows and exhibits. Thirty-seven cities with experience on similar projects were contacted for information pertinent to the money spent by visitors for hotel accommodations, restaurants, retain trade, even the percentage of visitors that required medical and other types of professional attention. This voluminous survey was presented to the City Council for their information on these types of events. This work paid off handsomely with annual coin exposition, which has been held seven times, many antique shows, gems and mineral shows, conventions of engineers, fraternities and societies. For all these events, the Chamber prepared charts to guide visitors to existing accommodations, including hotel rates for the eleven available facilities in the area. The Chamber has supplied free badges, secretarial assistance for registration, and in several instances, local businessmen have volunteered their aid to help with parking, supplying cars for VIPs, signs and banners and other services needed for successful conventions.
Progress made from 1940 to the Golden Anniversary in 1972 – Page 25 of 33
In 1963, as a result of hundreds of complaints phoned and written to the Chamber office, the board of directors recommended that the east-west street numbers be changed to conform with the unified numbering system of the county. Previous to this change, for example, visitors to the area coming out of the streets might find the number suddenly changed from 2800 west to 900 east. Such an incident created a bad image for the city. The change was instituted in 1963 and took a year for completion. During this time, the Chamber donated hundreds of new street numbers to residents and even supplied committees equipped with hammers and screw drivers to change the numbers.
In 1966, there was action to investigate the possibility of industrial development. Northrop Corporation and other companies volunteered the services of several of their executives, and a very efficient program was developed to explore the possibilities. The result of this program revealed that more than 90% of Hawthorne land zoned for industry was already occupied by existing industries, that few if any parcels exceeding two acres were available, so the board concluded that there was little or no room for new industry. While this was disappointing to the board of directors, it brought out the fact that other cities could be envious of Hawthorne’s position in this regard. For years the Chamber has given commercial awards to those firms that improve and beautify their premises. The publicity committee “hit the jackpot” in 1967, when one of the recipients took a full-page ad in LOOK MAGAZINE with a copy that modestly boasted about their receiving the commercial award from the Hawthorne Chamber.
Each year since 1959 the Chamber has celebrated the anniversary of the City of Hawthorne at its annual banquet in June. For a number of years the public relations committee selected a man-of-the-year and a woman-of-the-year who were fittingly honored with appropriate awards. Another such program was the “Good Neighbor Award”, a program instituted to publicize our slogan, “The City of Good Neighbors”. Citizens were requested to participate in the program by sending a letter of commendation about a good neighbor. This program was very popular for several years. The citizen who had nominated him and the good neighbor were guests at the annual banquet.
For many years the Chamber maintained a commercial improvement committee to research and investigate all possibilities for improvement of the commercial district. The committee gave detailed attention to the master plan devised by the city and submitted a detailed report to the city council.
The aviation committee promoted dozens of what they called “hangar sessions” to inspire interest in the use of the municipal airport, which, in the opinion of the board of directors, was an extremely important economic asset to the city.
Even though Chambers of Commerce have existed since the time our nation was founded, for some reason or other, the scope and detailed work of a chamber is unknown to a great portion of the public. The Hawthorne Chamber office will probably receive 2,500 inquiries about our city each year. By phone, mail, or personal visit, people want information on education, taxes, housing, insurance, employment, living conditions, recreation, clubs and organizations and hundreds of other items which space does not permit listing here.
Progress made from 1940 to the Golden Anniversary in 1972 – Page 26 of 33
Many of the letters have no street address. They are simply addressed to the Chamber of Commerce, Hawthorne, California, because the people know that the Chamber exists and it is the only place that provides such services.
If there is any event that could be called the most important boost to Hawthorne’s economy, it would have to be the establishment of the Northrop Aircraft Company (later the Northrop Corporation). In 1939, with the help of a small group of prominent citizens from Hawthorne and Inglewood who guaranteed a bond of $55,000 to insure the installation of adequate utilities and other preliminary expenses, Northrop opened its offices at the Hawthorne Hotel, a small building on 126th Street near Acacia, and started operations on Broadway between Prairie and Crenshaw. Even before their first building was completed, the company quickly received contracts for military aircraft and hired 50 employees. Engineer Jack Northrop was well known to the war department for his ability to design and manufacture military airplanes. Within a very short time, dozens of firms who had Northrop Subcontracts moved into Hawthorne. World War II began and Northrop parceled out subcontracts to a hundred or more firms. Before the conflict ended in 1945, when General Bedell Smith, the Chief of Staff of General Eisenhower, met with the German representatives at Reims, France, to oversee the surrender of Nazi forces, over 20,000 employees were working at Northrop and other Hawthorne industries.
Many people anticipated a drastic reduction in the work force when the was concluded. President Kindleberger of North American Aviation, in a speech to a combined meeting of the Hawthorne and Inglewood Chambers of Commerce, gave warning this would occur. Fortunately, he was wrong. For five years the American people had been rationed on almost everything ordinarily used in the normal process of living. They had earned a great deal of money and the demand for butter instead of guns quickly asserted itself; industry quickly changed pace to meet this demand. The need for increased community services became quickly apparent and from 1940 until present day the record has been surpassed in the areas of retail sales, building permits, assessed valuation, and industrial development.
As early as 1940 the city council recognized the need for parks and recreation and acquired a 13 acre site at Prairie and El Segundo boulevards. The park contains adequate picnic areas, tennis courts, volley ball courts, and many other types of recreational equipment for public use. During ensuing years seven additional parks were acquired. A unique recreational facility for boys and girls between the ages of 7 and 14 is the Hawthorne youth camp, an area of 33 acres located in Big Pines, about 100 miles from Hawthorne. With contributions from businessmen and residents, hundreds of civic-spirited citizens volunteered weekends of labor to toil on the construction of facilities, and many firms donated lumber, paint, hardware, and other necessary items.
The large increase in industry and population resulted in a need for more and more water. From 1906 to 1972 thirteen wells were drilled; four of these are still producing. Underground withdrawals are controlled by law and limited to one-third of the total demand. The City Water Department purchases about 65% of the total demand from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. All water comes from the Colorado River but in 1972 we received Feather River water through the California Aqueduct System and when the connections are completed the imported capacity will exceed 13 million gallons per day. More than sixty miles of water mains lie in the distribution system ranging in size from four-inch to eighteen-inch. The maximum daily consumption is 7� million gallons, average daily consumption is 5 million gallons and 9 million gallons are stored in surface tanks. A 1966 article in the Advertiser Press Newspapers provided a vivid description of water needs from the founding of Hawthorne in 1906 until the present.
Progress made from 1940 to the Golden Anniversary in 1972 – Page 27 of 33
WATER
In addition to providing a very fine service for residents, the Hawthorne Water Department enjoys an excellent visual image. The light green elongated mushroom-shaped water storage tank which looms 123 feet above the city has become a familiar landmark to residents of the Centinela-South Bay.
The City of Hawthorne derives its water supply from four deep wells and one connection to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. All local well water is subjected to water softening and chlorination at the water treatment at 210 North Ramona Avenue. The system has treated after storage capacity of 8,682,000 gallons in the elevated steel tank and five ground level storage tanks.
PURCHASE SYSTEM
The water system was started in 1924 with the purchase by the city of the assets of the Hawthorne Electric and Power Company. In 1925 the raw water reservoir, an elevated steel tank and two booster units were installed. The water was pumped to the aerator, then to the raw water reservoir, and then boosted directly into the distribution system. Except for drilling additional wells, the water system remained essentially the same until 1941, when the present rapid sand filtration plant was constructed. The original capacity of the plant was 1.3 million gallons per day.
Because of the rapid growth of the city, the capacity of the water treatment plant soon became inadequate and in 1945 a hydro-treator, an up-flow unit, was added to the plant. This addition increased the capacity of the treatment works to four million gallons. It soon became necessary to increase the filtering capacity of the plant also, and four additional rapid sand filters were constructed along with another 50,000 gallon clear well.
DRILL NEW WELLS
From 1946 to 1954 four new wells were drilled. In 1958, the present 250,000 gallon elevated tank was erected. Reservoirs 1, 2, 3, and 4 were added to the system in 1954. These tanks are located just south of the water treatment plant. Each has a capacity of 1,858,000 gallons. The tanks are 24 feet high and 116 feet in diameter. The tanks are tied together in such a manner that they act as one unit but can be used independently of one another by means of valves. All tanks are screened, ventilated and provided with cathodic protection. Reservoir No. 5 has a one-million gallon capacity and is located just east of the softening plant. The tank is 16 feet high, circular in shape, and of concrete construction.
Progress made from 1940 to the Golden Anniversary in 1972 – Page 28 of 33
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS
Today the Hawthorne Water Department grosses over $500,000 annually; $400,000 is used for normal operation and maintenance with the remaining $100,000 earmarked for capital improvement.
Over the past ten years over one million dollars has been invested in a capital improvement program to replace inadequate and deteriorated water mains, provide transmission mains and storage facilities. Construction phases covering transmission and storage have been completed and the water main replacement program is nearing the half-way mark.
Objectives of the water main replacement program were (1) elimination of obsolete pipes from the system with the end result a reduction of maintenance; (2) improvement of service to the consumer through installation of pipes large enough to maintain constant high pressure both for domestic consumption and for fire fighting; (3) return of rear yard easements to property owners (now complete); and (4) to finance all water main replacements with current water department revenue. Target date for completion of present capital improvement program in the water department is 1972.
1924 Fire Department |
A second fire station was built in 1942 at 138 Plaza Square and two full-time firemen were employed as a part of the police department. The original station at the same location was then converted into city council chambers and a municipal courtroom. The first full-time fire chief was appointed in 1953, and in 1954-55 two additional fire engines were purchased. The Plaza station was demolished in 1969 and new modern headquarters built at 4475 West El Segundo Boulevard. The present personnel consist of a fire chief, 2 battalion chiefs, 44 regular firemen and 10 volunteer firemen and dispatchers. The efficiency of our fire department is best indicated by the fact that fire insurance rates have decreased more than 60% during the past 20 years.
In 1942, our 20th anniversary, Hawthorne’s assessed valuation reached an all time high of $7,622,000, a 70% increase over the previous year. Ten years later, in 1952, assessed valuation had increased to $21 million, and by 1962 reached the astounding figure of $85 million. This item alone is descriptive of the immense progress achieved since 1940.
Progress made from 1940 to the Golden Anniversary in 1972 – Page 29 of 33
In 1945 the city purchased its first power sweeper; the work could no longer be done with hand brooms and manual labor. At present, the city has several sweepers which clean the entire town once a week and the business section three times each week.
In 1948 a new city hall was dedicated at 4460 West 126th Street. It wasn’t long until the booming economy necessitated larger quarters and the building was remodeled in 1955.
A prime factor in Hawthorne’s development is the municipal airport which started operations for privately owned aircraft in April, 1948. Previous to this date, Northrop Corporation used the site for operations of military aircraft. When the company located here in 1939, one of the principal considerations influencing the location was the proposed development of tan airport strip adjacent to the plant site. In August, 1939, citizens of Hawthorne pledge the city to such development and Northrop thereupon acquired, for the city, basic property for the airport. After assurances by the city that the site would be operated and maintained as an airport, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, assisted by the W.P.A., started construction. Service began on June 19, 1942. In September 1949 the city accepted a grant agreement from the Civil Aeronautics Administration and soon thereafter completed a 30 foot taxiway, cross connecting taxiways, and an apron on the north side of the airport. It is widely used by owners of private aircraft, businessmen, and industry. Best of all, it is an asset to taxpayers for it returns an annual net profit from operations. In 1964 it was ranked the tenth busiest general aviation airport in California and the twenty-fifth in the nation. From an insignificant beginning of a few hundred aircraft movements in 1950, the 1970 total reached 245,313. Ad administration building, with a restaurant and other needed facilities, were dedicated in 1968. Total valuation of capital improvements and aircraft exceeds $3 million.
It is appropriate at this point to note that Hawthorne’s first municipal airport, if it can be so described, was a privately owned 15-acre site known as Kelley Field, located on the present site of Hawthorne High School in 1921. There the daring air pioneers of the day flew their “Jennies”, and their antics were not unanimously approved by the populace. An article in one of the newspapers of the period criticized the aviators as daredevils whose sport frightened the people. The article concluded with the statement that airplanes were of no use to sensible people, would never be of any economic value, and would eventually be illegal to own and operate.
Progress made from 1940 to the Golden Anniversary in 1972 – Page 30 of 33
In 1953 the city purchased its first accounting machine. Previously ledger posting and water billing had been done by hand. In 1956 a more improved machine was necessary to handle the increased amount of city business consisting of payrolls, warrants, and various billings. Water and refuse collections bills, from 1949 to 1960, increased from 5000 to 10,000.
In December 1944 after impressive dedication ceremonies spearheaded by the Chamber of Commerce, the Hawthorne Police Department moved into a new home at 180 West 126th Street. The facility was hailed as one of the most advanced stations of its kind for a city of our size. The building contained 6,273 square feet of working space including a three-place pistol range, a civil defense control center, and a jail. At that time the force consisted of eleven full-time officers and a few motorcycles and cars. Today there are 69 full time personnel, a 40-man reserve corps and a score of cars and cycles, including a court bus.
In 1955 a new municipal code was adopted and a full-time building superintendent was employed. That year retail sales reached an all-time high of $39 million; in 1964 the total was $79 million and the estimate for 1972 was $165 million.
During the 1950’s the state highway commission (Hawthorne Boulevard was a state highway at that time) formulated plans to redesign Hawthorne Boulevard into an expressway. The City asked the Chamber of Commerce to spearhead a drive to defeat this proposal. After two years of meetings, hearings and petitions, the commission abandoned the plan.
The city “took back” the boulevard from the state in 1968 and is presently considering plans for improvement of this major north-south artery as a part of the program for commercial improvement, which is referred to later in this history.
In 1956 a sewer cleaning program was instituted with the purchase of a sophisticated rodding machine to clear stoppages, plus the replacement of small sewers with pipe of much larger diameter. In previous years all rodding had been done by hand and the new machine eliminated many difficulties encountered by the early system of sewers, laid during the first fifteen years of incorporation. When the city was incorporated in 1922 most homes had cesspools, and the Saturday night bath, in a tub in the kitchen, was quite common.
The year 1956 also heralded a large tree planting project by the city. Most were planted in the middle strip of Hawthorne Boulevard. Another feature of that year was a record high of $8 million of building permits issued during the first six months. This was due to the plans being made for Hawthorne’s first shopping center on the west side of Hawthorne Boulevard from 118th Street south. A large number of houses and buildings were being demolished or moved to provide space for the necessary parking and the new store buildings to be erected. One of the major permits issued was to the National Cash Register Company, who opened a new building on El Segundo Boulevard.
Progress made from 1940 to the Golden Anniversary in 1972 – Page 31 of 33
In 1957, with the aid of the County Board of Supervisors, a $300,000 municipal swimming pool was dedicated. Located on the grounds of the Hawthorne High School, the facility consists of a main pool, a diving pool, and an instruction pool.
In 1962 the first modern regional library was established with a total book collection claimed to be the second largest in the county, with the exception of downtown Los Angeles. The main library is located at 12700 South Grevillea, the Holly Park Library is at 2150 South Inglewood Avenue. These three facilities have 250,000 volumes in stock and circulate over 600,000 volumes annually.
Growing from a little village of a few acres, Hawthorne, in 1973, plays an important role in the economy of Southern California. Its boundaries have been extended many times to a size of over five square miles.
There has been 138 successful annexations to the City of Hawthorne since incorporation. These annexations have added 3.56 square miles to our city’s boundaries and 2,300 acres. At incorporation in 1922, our acreage was 1,248 (now 3,559.11) and our square mileage was 2 (now 5.56). Although the majority of the annexations were small strips and acres required to straighten out boundaries, a dozen or more were large acquisitions of 100 to 250 acres. Vacant land annexed totals over 1500 acres for development, but most of the annexations were inhabited and these added several thousand residents to our tax rolls and our population. We have had some annexation failures of course, but in the majority of cases the people have noted their preference to be a citizen of Hawthorne, the “City of Good Neighbors.”
The elementary school district consists of 9 schools, 255 teachers, 5,300 pupils, and facilities valued at $8 million. The operating budget exceeds $3.5 million; in 1942 the budget was $167,000.
Average property tax comparisons indicate Hawthorne’s 1972 rate of $11.26 per hundred is the lowest of the surrounding cities in the Centinela Valley. This is due in great part to the consistent reduction of city taxes from $1.70 per hundred in 1942 to 72 cents in 1972.
The 1970 census gave Hawthorne a population of 55,000, an increase of 53,000 in fifty years. 31% of our population has lived in Hawthorne over 15 years, 41% five to ten years, and 21% one to five years. The ages of our population show 23% less than nine years old, 15% ten to nineteen, 14% twenty to twenty-nine, 32% thirty to thirty-nine, and 15% over fifty. At incorporation in 1922, there were 703 dwelling units; there are now over 20,000.
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Progress made from 1940 to the Golden Anniversary in 1972 – Page 33 of 33
Other statistics indicative of Hawthorne’s progress during 50 years show sales tax collections increasing from $150,000 in 1955 to $1,483,000 in 1970 and the number of electric meters increasing from 2,495 in 1940 to 17,209 in 1970. During the past ten years the number of telephones have more than doubled from 37,608 to 74,803. There is an average of 375,000 telephone calls per day.
No historical summary of Hawthorne would be complete without some reference to the booming, bewitching surrounding area � Southern California. It is, everything considered, one of the most incredibly varied, volatile, productive, dynamic pieces of real estate on earth: Contrasts, both past and present, paint a dramatic picture difficult to equal anywhere. Only a few miles from its roaring freeways, American condors breed and live their long lives in primitive surroundings unchanged since the first Spaniards sailed by centuries ago. Jet airplanes streak to Europe in less than 12 hours time over trails where pioneer wagon trains wound their way past Indians with their poor possessions and beaten Gods. Super highways and subdivisions eat up thousands of acres of land but industry and agriculture yield production that few states can equal. Pleasure seekers and tourists criss-cross Hawthorne to Marineland, Disneyland and Hollywood, but within a radius of a few miles, the minds of the greatest pool of technological and scientific talent in the nation swiftly translate ideas and concepts into one-fifth of all the hardware for U.S. space and military programs. While snows fall softly on peaks that thrust skyward 11,000 feet, thousands of bathers throng beaches and great expanses of orange groves glint golden in the sun.
When the westward march of civilization – by wagon train and railroad – reached the shores of the Pacific, it was thought that the last frontier had been conquered. This thought persisted for over a hundred years until the curiosity and genius of mankind became devoted to the challenge of space. Hawthorne is located in the midst of activity “reaching for the stars”. Frontiers always bluster and fight back but give lavish rewards to those who will not be bullied, who will accept new challenges. Hawthorne products were in the moon shots of the Ranger, the Venus probe satellite and the Mars probe satellite. These space vehicles were guided by intricate machinery manufactured in Hawthorne, obeyed commands and sent back pictures with electronic modules and memory systems that were conceived and created in Hawthorne factories. An now, Hawthorne will be a part of the space shuttle system. Hawthorne is no longer the last frontier. It is the launching pad for the continued march of civilization in the search for more goods and services and more commerce for all.
But Hawthorne is not all space by any means. 156 factories manufacture a variety of products of which many are shipped all over the world. These include mean grinding machines, toys, plastics, computers, shower doors, furniture, electric gold carts, trams, ornamental iron, maine automatic pilots, folding doors, girl’s sportswear, fishing lures, tools, cleansing systems, air filtration equipment, cosmetics, doors, windows, kitchen cabinets, diamond blades for cutting tile, water heaters, stoves and many others.
And the future is most promising.
For the past several years the city council has been formulating a project to rebuild a large section of the downtown shopping area, a section bound by El Segundo on the south, 120th Street on the north, Hawthorne Boulevard on the west and Birch on the east – about 38 acres in all. Space does not permit an accounting of the many, many trials and tribulations, frustrations and set-backs that the development agency has had to contend with. It is an awesome undertaking. However, perseverance always finally prevails, and within the next few years Hawthorne will have a modern shopping area that will draw hundreds of thousand of shoppers to our city.
Only a few years ago competent agencies predicted that Hawthorne would have a population of 45,000 by 1975. That figure was surpassed in 1965 and it is difficult to estimate how many people will live in Hawthorne if the trends documented in this history continue.
Statisticians will ponder over this question but there will be no question about the continued growth and prosperity of Hawthorne.
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