Bolton Hall (California) facts for kids
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Bolton Hall
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| Location | 10110 Commerce Ave., Tujunga, California |
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| Built | 1913 |
| Architect | George Harris |
| Architectural style | American Craftsman Mission Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000159 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | November 23, 1971 |
Bolton Hall is a special old stone building in Tujunga, Los Angeles, California. It was built way back in 1913. This building is a great example of the American Craftsman style of architecture.
When it was first built, Bolton Hall was a busy community center for a unique group of people called the Little Landers. Later, it became an American Legion hall, a public library, and even the Tujunga City Hall and a jail! After 1957, the building was empty for over 20 years. People argued about whether to tear it down or fix it up. Luckily, since 1980, Bolton Hall has been a local history museum. It's run by the Little Landers Historical Society.
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A Special Building: Bolton Hall
Bolton Hall is more than just an old building; it's a piece of history. It shows us how people lived and worked in the early 1900s. It also represents a unique idea of community.
The Little Lands Community
In the early 1900s, the area we now call Tujunga was mostly empty land. In 1913, a man named William Ellsworth Smythe started a special community here. He called it Los Terrenitos, which means "The Little Lands" in Spanish. Smythe was a leader of the Utopian "Little Landers" movement. He believed that families could live well and be independent by settling on just an acre or two of land. He had already started similar communities in other places.
People could buy a small plot of land in Tujunga for $800. This gave them a chance to live a life of independence.
Bolton Hall was built in 1913 by George Harris. He called himself a "nature builder" and used natural materials. Harris named the building after Bolton Hall, a New York activist. This activist supported the idea of people moving "back-to-the-land." Harris wanted the building to be made only from local materials. He chose a design that didn't copy European styles. Harris and the community built the hall using large pieces of granite and stones. These stones came from nearby fields, hills, and the Tujunga Wash riverbed.
The main room inside Bolton Hall is very big. It has shiny hardwood floors and a huge rock fireplace in the middle. The fireplace has a long mantel, about 14 feet wide. This mantel was made from a single eucalyptus tree. Below the mantel, Harris carved the words "To the Spiritual Life of Soil." The whole building cost $6,480 to build.
Opening Day Excitement
When Bolton Hall opened in August 1913, the Los Angeles Times newspaper wrote about it. They said it marked the "awakening" of the area. The newspaper reported that the "little-landers" community had made amazing progress. About 200 families had bought land in just five months.
The Times also said that Bolton Hall was "built to stand for ages." And it has! The building survived the big 1971 Sylmar and 1994 Northridge earthquakes without any damage.
In its early years, Bolton Hall was a busy place. It hosted community meetings, just like old town halls in New England. It was also used for church services, music shows, lectures, and even movies. The Women's Club met there, and people enjoyed dances and pot-luck dinners. It was also home to the second public library in the San Fernando Valley.
From City Hall to Jail
After World War I, Bolton Hall was used by the American Legion for several years. In 1925, Tujunga became its own city. Bolton Hall then became the Tujunga City Hall. In 1932, Tujunga joined the City of Los Angeles. For the next 25 years, the building was used for different city services. These included the San Fernando Valley's second public library and even a jail. Even with these new uses, people still called it Tujunga City Hall until it closed in 1957.
Saving Bolton Hall
When Bolton Hall closed in 1957, the city wanted to sell it. But it needed a lot of money to fix it up. So, no one wanted to buy it. In 1959, the city planned to tear down the old building. They wanted to turn the land into a park.
But a group of people formed the Little Landers Historical Society. They wanted to save Bolton Hall! This group worked hard to protect the building. They watered the trees around it in the summer. They also collected over 400 signatures on petitions to save the building. A representative from the National Trust looked at the building. They agreed it had important historical value.
However, the group struggled to find enough money to fix and maintain the building. For more than 20 years, Bolton Hall remained empty. The "Save Bolton Hall" movement kept trying to raise money.
Historical Museum
Finally, in 1976, a plan was made. The City of Los Angeles would fix the outside of the building. The Little Landers Historical Society would fix the inside. They planned to open it as a historical museum. At that time, the building had been sealed up since 1957. By 1979, money was still short. The Times newspaper reported that the empty building held "only cobwebs and dust."
But in late 1979, Los Angeles City Councilman Bob Ronka helped get $169,000 in federal money. The Little Landers Historical Society had also raised $23,800. With nearly $200,000, the building was finally restored. It had been empty for over 20 years!
The Bolton Hall Historical Museum opened in 1980. Inside, you can see many interesting things. There's the gavel used in early town meetings. You can also see tools used to build Bolton Hall. There are old photographs and the old clock from the first Tujunga Post Office. The museum even has a letter from Bolton Hall, the New York lawyer the building was named after. Near the front entrance, there's a stone that sticks out from the wall. Early settlers used it to clean their pipes when the building was a church.
The museum is open to everyone. You can visit every Sunday and Tuesday from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. And the best part is, admission is free!
