Lake Norconian Club facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Lake Norconian Club
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View of Norconian Resort, Lake and Pavilion, December 2007
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 Location in California
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| Location | Junction of Fifth and Western Ave., Norco, California |
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| Area | 92 acres (37 ha) |
| Built | 1928 |
| Architect | Clubhouse: Dwight Gibbs Outbuildings: G. Stanley Wilson Interiors: A. B. Heinsbergen |
| Architectural style | Mission / Spanish Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 00000033 |
| Added to NRHP | February 4, 2000 |
The Lake Norconian Club was once a fancy hotel and resort in Norco, California. It was built in the 1920s and is still mostly the same, even after being a naval base and prison for over 70 years. This historic place was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
When it first opened on February 2, 1929, the Lake Norconian Club was in a quiet, country area. The local businesses mainly focused on raising poultry (like chickens), rabbits, and farming. It was also known as the Norconian Resort Supreme and Clark's Hot Springs.
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How the Norconian Club Started
In 1920, a man named Rex Brainerd Clark bought a large piece of land north of Corona, California. This land was originally an agricultural area called "Orchard Heights." Clark renamed it "Norco," which comes from "North of Corona."
A few years later, in 1925, Clark's engineer, Cuthbert Gulley, was drilling a well. He found hot mineral water! This discovery gave them the idea to build a health spa. That spa eventually became The Norconian Resort.
Construction on the resort began in 1926. It included a golf course, hiking trails, and even an airfield. There was also Lake Norconian with a pavilion. The main building, called the "Clubhouse," was a first-class hotel. It had two indoor bath areas, a beautiful ballroom, a dining room, and a lounge. The resort also had the first outdoor swimming and diving pools in Southern California that met Amateur Athletic Union standards. These pools were the only ones like them until the 1932 Summer Olympics pools were built in Los Angeles.
A Time of Great Success
The Norconian Resort was very popular at first. Famous movie stars and athletes often visited. You might have seen Buster Keaton or Babe Ruth playing golf there. In 1938, actress Lona Andre even set a new record for speed in women's golf! Norma Shearer filmed two movies at the resort and loved riding horses on the trails. Will Rogers also used the Norconian airfield often.
The outdoor pools were always busy with competitions. Many Olympic-level athletes swam and dove there, including Buster Crabbe and Esther Williams. On May 20, 1928, the pools officially opened. On that day, 18-year-old Cecily Cuhna set a world record for the 400-meter swim!
Fast speedboat races were also held on Lake Norconian. Famous racers like Loretta Turnbull, known as "The Queen of the Seas," competed there.
Many movies were filmed at the resort, including Top Speed in 1929. The resort became so well-known that Fox Studios even built copies of Norconian sets in their Hollywood studios.
Challenges During the Great Depression
Sadly, the Great Depression caused the Norconian's success to fade. By 1933, the resort had to close. Rex Clark faced financial problems, and the Norco area was going through a long drought.
In 1935, the resort suddenly reopened. This was likely due to money from Rex Clark's former wife. The Norconian continued to have some special events. In 1938, Walt Disney Studios threw a huge party there to celebrate the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. MGM and Fox studios also held parties at the Norconian. During this time, stars like Jeanette MacDonald and Joan Crawford still visited.
However, the resort struggled with unpaid taxes and debts. After changing its name to "Clark's Hot Springs" in 1940, it closed for good.
In late 1941, the United States Navy bought the resort. On December 8, 1941, the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the resort became the United States Naval Hospital in Corona. Later, when Norco became a city in 1964, the hospital was officially located in Norco.
The first patients arrived from the Pearl Harbor attack. They were treated in the luxurious rooms of the former resort. The hospital quickly grew. It became a special center for treating tuberculosis and malaria for the Navy. It also treated polio patients. The hospital added a large ward, a chapel, a theater, and a gymnasium. In the gym, wheelchair basketball was created by a team called "The Rolling Devils"!
At its busiest in 1945, over 5,000 patients were treated there. Many new medical advances happened at the hospital. This included the first use of penicillin for tuberculosis patients and the first air transport of Navy patients across the U.S. to Norco. They also used the polio vaccine there early on and developed new prosthetic devices.
Actress Kay Francis was in charge of keeping up morale. She made sure many stars who used to visit the resort now entertained the patients. These included The Three Stooges, the Marx Brothers, Abbott and Costello, and Jack Benny.
The hospital closed temporarily in 1949 but reopened in 1950 for the Korean War. It closed for good in 1957. Part of the land was later given to California to create the California Rehabilitation Center.
What Happened Recently
In 2000, many of the original buildings and features from the Norconian's resort days were added to the National Register of Historic Places. This recognized their importance to history.
In 2004, a study found that the main hotel building was not safe in an earthquake. It was then left empty. Today, this large Spanish Colonial Revival building is falling apart. Inside, beautiful chandeliers, painted ceilings, and tiled floors are being damaged by leaks from holes in the roof. A group called the Lake Norconian Club Foundation has been working to get the state to take care of this important historic building.
