Picture of the Month 2017

In collaboration with the El Sereno Branch Library, we have created an informational bulletin board featuring the historic Pacific Electric red cars that once ran down the middle of Huntington Drive.  The bulletin board is displayed at the main room in the El Sereno Branch Library. 

Our Picture of the Month features the California Metal Enameling Company that existed in El Sereno (then called Bairdstown).  It was located near the northwest corner of El Sereno Ave and Huntington Drive.  It operated from the early 1900's up until the 1920's.  
 

Today, a lot of the enameled advertising signs are collectables. 

A warm thanks to Louis Salcido for contributing to this post.

You may or may not know that El Sereno was once known as Bairdstown.  Many people have asked, “Why was El Sereno called Bairdstown?”  Before answering this question, it is important to understand the rural setting prior to El Sereno’s development.

From about the 1850s to early 1900s, El Sereno was a collection of farms and ranches. Some of these early families included the Batz and Lifur.  These families were Basque immigrants who became large land owners of what once was the historic Rancho Rosa de Castilla.  It was around this time that Llewelyn Baird made his way west.  

The Baird family was originally from New York and then moved to Janesville, Wisconsin.  There were five brothers, but through research only four names have been obtained: Joe, George, Arthur, and Llewelyn.  It was Llewelyn at the age of 17 who decided to come west.  Portland, Oregon was his first stop and he remained there for a short time.  He then moved to San Francisco where he met Abbie. After a true lovers’ courtship, they were married and moved to El Sereno in 1901.

Llewelyn’s mother had followed him west and was already here in El Sereno with the three other Baird brothers, Joe, George, and Arthur.  They quickly bought land and built homes here, including one for their mother.  

Although all the brothers were endowed with a shrewd sense of business, Llewelyn had the greatest confidence in the future of this small, remote little settlement, surrounded by rolling hills, with wild barley fields stretching out on every side.

The first Baird subdivision was in the vicinity of Academy Street and was called Baird Park. That proved to be the "little acorn from which the mighty oak grows,” because then one subdivision followed another.  Llewelyn built a really far-reaching real estate business and then later  combined it with an insurance business.

Both George and Llewelyn began to develop a subdivision around 1900.  George Baird subdivided and sold real estate, while his brother Llewelyn had the first grocery store and post office.  The grocery store also sold tickets to the Pacific Electric line. 

Llewelyn Baird was known for his active role at Farmdale Grammar School. He was the first board member, and later became President of the Farmdale School Board.  For many years, Llewelyn Baird constantly advocated for new buildings and adequate staff of teachers. Transportation was a very sore spot, even then, in this little "neck of the wood ' and Llewelyn was instrumental in getting the Pacific Electric Railway to run a short line here.  In 1938, Mr. Llewelyn Baird died working at his desk.  He was 76 years old.

The Baird brothers were also influential in the development of other communities and businesses throughout Southern California.  George Baird owned land in Redondo Beach and built the Redondo Beach Hotel.  

The eldest brother, Dr. Joe Baird, started the Free Methodist Seminary that still stands atop one of Hermon's hills and turns out hundreds of Free Methodist ministers, missionaries and other Christian workers.

Brothers Arthur A. Baird, Llewelyn Baird, George W. Baird, and G.H. Prentice (of  Bairdstown) were also directors of The California Vineyard and Improvement company, whose purpose of the organization was “the manufacturing of grape juice and denatured alcohol, to furnish water to the residents of North Cucamonga, and other improvements.” 

In addition, the brothers George, Llewellyn and Arthur were in the produce business at Third and Los Angeles Streets.  Together, they later  entered the real estate business and contributed much to the initial conversion of the fields and farms into an urban area.

PHOTO ABOVE:  George W, Baird, Arthur A. Baird, Llewellyn Baird from the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce book, 1886.  Courtesy of Louis Salcido.

The commercial center of El Sereno in 1905 was the Bairdstown grocery and post office on the corner of Huntington Drive North and El Sereno  Avenue.  Tickets for a ride on the Pacific Electric Railway, which ran along Huntington Drive, could be purchased there.  The store was operated by Llewelyn Baird, brother of pioneer real estate developer George Baird.