• El Sereno History
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    • Spanish Exploration
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    • El Sereno History
    • About Us
    • History of El Sereno
      • Spanish Exploration
      • Mexican Rancho Period
      • American Ranch Period
      • PE Railway & Real Estate
      • Annexation and Growth
      • Depression Years
      • Wartime Boom and Growth
      • Post-War Period
      • El Sereno: 1950s to 1970s
      • El Sereno: 1980s to 2000s
    • Special Collection
      • Pacific Electric Railway
      • Legion Ascot Speedway
      • Soto Street Bridge
      • Research Collection
    • Featured Articles
      • Featured Articles 2012
      • Featured Articles 2013
      • Featured Articles 2014
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  • El Sereno History
  • About Us
  • History of El Sereno
    • Spanish Exploration
    • Mexican Rancho Period
    • American Ranch Period
    • PE Railway & Real Estate
    • Annexation and Growth
    • Depression Years
    • Wartime Boom and Growth
    • Post-War Period
    • El Sereno: 1950s to 1970s
    • El Sereno: 1980s to 2000s
  • Special Collection
    • Pacific Electric Railway
    • Legion Ascot Speedway
    • Soto Street Bridge
    • Research Collection
  • Featured Articles
    • Featured Articles 2012
    • Featured Articles 2013
    • Featured Articles 2014
    • Featured Articles 2015
    • Featured Articles 2016
    • Featured Articles 2017
    • Featured Articles 2018
    • Featured Articles 2019
    • Featured Articles 2020
    • Featured Articles 2022-23
    • Featured Articles 2024
    • Feature Articles 2025
  • Featured Articles 2025

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Picture of the Month 2024

As part of our Mission to share the history of El Sereno with the community and public, we plan to present a new picture/historic document every month. This will allow us, the El Sereno Historical Society, to continue sharing  recent historic discoveries.  
      

But more importantly it will allow you, our readers and supporters, the  chance to have any hidden or long-forgotten historic gems be shared with our great El Sereno community. Sharing and learning about our history is a community effort, and we thank all those who contribute and add to our growing historic community's website. 


Picture of the Month January 2024

Snow in El Sereno, January 12, 1949

75 years ago, on this day, a SoCal blizzard hit El Sereno.

Thanks to Joy Lane for sharing these photos of snow in Gravois Elementary.  

Gravois Elementary is a long gone school that was located on what is today Cal State LA's main parking lot. 

Joy Lane attended Gravois from 1944 to 1949. Her mother, Esther B. Sangor,  took these pictures.  Ms. Sangor was the school secretary for many years until the school was taken over by LA State College (now CSULA) and demolished. 

Picture of the Month February 2024

Growing Up in El Sereno, by George Rivera

Courtesy of George Rivera, who shared this photo and caption with us.

 "These are the kids I grew up with on 4417 Garden Homes Ave. 1947

Last house on the block.

Becky Rivera on left, Bobby Rivera in middle and me, George Rivera with letterman sweater."

Picture of the Month March 2024

El Sereno's Fire Station # 47 Patch

Shout-out to our first responders, proudly serving our community.

Fire Station 47, the Pride of El Sereno.  It's pretty cool that the station patch has a Ram as it's mascot. 

Picture of the Month April 2024

Alta Pines Restaurant, 1929

Located on top of the Lombardy Blvd and Eastern Ave Hill. Alta Pines served chicken or rabbit dinners for $1 in 1929.

The ad is from 1929 and the photo is from 1970. The red arrow points to the original location of the restaurant, which was still surrounded by pines in the 1970s.


Trivia: The ad states the address as 2608 Eastern Ave,  formally El Sereno Ave.
Originally,  El Sereno Ave ran from Huntington Drive to Valley Blvd. 

Picture of the Month May 2024

The Golden Chicken Restaurant

The Golden Chicken restaurant was located on Lombardy Blvd, near Eastern Ave. Photo circa 1964.

You can see part of the Alta Pines Restaurant at the top of the hill in the background.

I wonder what happened to the rooster?

Big thanks to ESHS board member Louis Salcido for finding this amazing photo!

#elsereno
#goldenchicken
#LombardyBlvd

Picture of the Month June 2024

Legion Ascot Speedway Entrance

El Sereno's Legion Ascot Speedway Alhambra Avenue entrance, 1932.

Alhambra Avenue was renamed Valley Blvd, as we know it today.

#legionascotspeedway
#elsereno
#elserenohistory

Picture of the Month July 2024

Portola Expedition crosses through El Sereno, July 31, 1769

On July 31, 1769, the Portola Expedition made their way to present-day El Sereno.

The diary explains, "The soldiers continue on to a place to the west [of present-day Alhambra,] where they find ample water and forage for the horses and mules."


West of Alhambra is El Sereno, and the water and forage was very likely to be along the historic Arroyo Rosa de Castilla,  a perennial spring which still runs beneath El Sereno.  The Native American village of Otsungna was located along the arroyo.


You can still see part of the historic arroyo when you enter the 710 south on Valley Blvd.

El Sereno's Portola Avenue is named after the Spanish explorer. 

The expedition had a profound impact on the Native-American throughout California.


#otsungna
#tongva
#elsereno 

Picture of the Month August 2024

Bairdstown becomes El Sereno

On August 21, 1917, the official name of our community was changed from Bairdstown to El Sereno.

El Sereno was originally part of the indigenous village known as Otsugna. With the establishment of San Gabriel Mission in 1771, El Sereno's land became cattle and farmland under the mission system.

#otsungna
#tongva
#elsereno 

In 1821, with Mexico's independence from Spain, El Sereno became a rancho. It was named after the historic stream, Arroyo Rosa de Castilla, that was the lifeline since the days of the Native American village of Otsungna. It became the Rancho Rosa de Castilla.

From the 1880s to the end of the century, the community was known as Farmdale. Then, in 1904, real estate development boomed with the arrival of the Bairds brothers, and the community became known as Bairdstown.

Exactly 107 years ago, Bairdstown was renamed El Sereno.  

Thanks to ESHS board member Louis Salcido for sharing this find.


P.S. Eastern Ave used to be El Sereno Avenue. 


#otsungna
#sangabrielmission
#ranchorosadecastilla
#farmdale
#bairdstown
#elsereno
#elserenohistory
#calstatela
#calstatelafcu

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