THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY: ONE OF THE NATION'S TOP REAL ESTATE MARKETS

Whether you live among the foothills in the Crescenta-Canada Valleyor San Gabriel Valley, it really is the best of California living.

Pasadena’s proud achievement in historic preservation, with more than 1,000 properties now listed on the National Register for Historic Places., has made it the leading city in Los Angeles that links us to the past. The Norton Simon Museum, The Pacific Asia Museum, and The Pasadena Playhouse are just a few to name if you’re seeking culture within the city.

In 2003 La Canada property values rose by 23.4%, an astronomical increase that placed the city at the top of the charts for the entire nation. Although now, five years later, the market has shifted, the community of La Canada, as well as many surrounding areas, have held its own in comparison to the nationwide drop in house prices. La Canada has not dropped anywhere near any number that would compensate for the rise in property values that have occurred like that 23.4% increase in 2003. Profiled as having one of the lowest crime rates in the country has been one of the contributing factors for the desirability to live in La Canada.

I could touch on the many other wonderful communities among the foothills, but will need pages to go on. Important to be said though, if you live with the San Gabriel Mountains serving as a dramatic backdrop, you have a lot to be thankful for.

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LANTERMAN HOUSE: A PIECE OF LA CANADA HISTORY

Completed in 1915, “El Retiro”, as it was known, was built by the second generation of La Canada’s founding family, the Lantermans, and today is one of a very few surviving pre-1920 residences in the city of La Canada Flintridge.

Dr. Roy Lanterman commissioned architect A. L. Haley to design a fireproof craftsman bungalow of reinforced concrete for his family. The house sits on 1.4 acres of restored lawns, gardens and oak groves, comprising 11,250 square feet. There are many arts and crafts elements to the Lanterman House, which was constructed with a U-shaped floor plan, including 32 pairs of French doors. The entire second floor is devoted to the ballroom, and the interior of the house retains its original furnishings and is elaborately decorated with plant and flower motifs that are characteristic patterns seen in the arts and crafts style of the early 20th century. Beautiful hand painted ornamentation, wallpapers and light fixtures are still remaining within the home.

Following the deaths of Roy and his wife Emily in 1948 and 1949, the house remained virtually unchanged, even though occupied by sons Frank and Lloyd until their deaths in 1981 and 1987. The house was left by Lloyd Lanterman to the City of La Canada Flintridge and has become one of La Canada’s few remaining historic landmarks, a veritable time capsule of early 20th-century Southern California life. It has been lovingly restored to its 1915 appearance by a grant from the California State Legislature and by efforts of community volunteers who have formed the Lanterman Historical Museum Foundation.

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Hours: Tours are provided Tuesday, Thursday, and the first and third Sundays of the month 1:00 pomp - 4:00 p.m. The museum is closed the month of August and holidays.

Admission: Adults $3.00. Students (12 - 18 years old) $1.00. Children under 12 are free with adult admission (children must be accompanied by an adult at all times - no strollers are permitted in the house).

Group Tour Schedule: Groups of ten or more, Tuesday and Thursday mornings (and one Wednesday morning each month) by appointment.

Lanterman House. 4420 Encinas Drive, La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011. (818)790-1421

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La Canada Town Center

The Thursday, August 21st 2008, opening of Sport Chalet’s 45,000 square foot “Building A” of the La Canada Town Center is the first of several grand openings expected to occur in coming months at the $60 million complex. The new development encompasses 11 acres of prime real estate in the center of the La Cañada community, which allows for the self proclamation as La Cañada Town Center.

The development is the accomplishment of a dream that Norbert Olbertz, Sport Chalet’s founder, has tried to carry out for over half a century. Norbert’s vision stems back to 1959 when he and his wife owned and operated the Sport Chalet ski shop that was located on the Northeast corner of Foothill Boulevard and Angeles Crest, which remained in business up until it was demolished to make way for the new Town Center. Olberz has come a long way since the first opening of the humble ski shop, as he now stands behind the companies chain of 52 Sport Chalet stores. In addition to the La Canada Sport Chalet, 15 restaurants and shops will be located at the complex, gradually opening to the public as they each are nearing completion.

Some have argued against the commercial development being brought into the secluded upper-middle to upper class family community of La Cañada, which is a town that caters to its residents by providing a safe environment and top public schools. One should hope though, that the majority of La Cañada’s residents appreciate the refreshing change brought in; A lifelong vision of a La Canada Flintridge resident who seems to have maintained the ideals of a family town with his 11 acre complex located in the towns new center.

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