San Fernando Valley, California
Historic Sites with Official Status
As of January 1, 2000

This is a listing of historic sites in the San Fernando Valley that have designated historical status by either the City of Los Angeles, state of California, or are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This list does not include archaeological sites listed with the California State Office of Historic Preservation.

The County of Los Angeles lists several places in the San Fernando Valley as Significant Ecology Areas (SEAs). Part or all of some of these places either are themselves or include historically important resources (e.g. SEAs #13 (Chatsworth Reservoir), #21 (Santa Susana Pass), #24 (Tujunga Valley and Hansen Dam), #37 (Griffith Park), #39 (Encino Reservoir), and #46 (the Tujunga Spreading Grounds).

This list is updated regularly. Please check back periodically to see additional historic sites.

Valley Landmarks - Burbank

Burbank City Hall  Est. 1941   National Register     Map

Designed by William Allen and W. George Lutzi

United States Post Office - Burbank Downtown Station   National Register     Map

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Valley Landmarks - Calabasas

Leonis Adobe  Est. 1844   Museum    National Register     Map   more photos...
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 1

Built in Monterey style in the 1840's, it was occupied by Miguel Leonis as early as the 1870's, one of the most colorful, influential and prominent figures of early Los Angeles. Declared: 8/6/62 . Open to the public Wednesday through Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

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Valley Landmarks - Canoga Park

Canoga Mission Gallery  Est. 1934-1936    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 135

Designed by Francis Lederer

Canoga Park Southern Pacific Railroad Station (site of)  Est. 1912    Map
It was built in 1912 and destroyed by fire 1993. Declared: 5/30/90

Lederer Residence and Immediate Environs  Est. 1934    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 204
Constructed over a period of years by the owners starting in 1934, with the help of builder John R. Litke, materials were chosen with the greatest of care and painstakingly employed in such a manner as to make them appear old. It is a distinguished example of Mission-style architecture in which the interior and exterior detailings are of museum quality. The Spanish and Italian furnishings are of particular interest, dating from the 14th Century. Declared: 11/15/78

Shadow Ranch    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 9

Built between 1869 & 1872 on the original Workman Ranch, this house is part adobe and part redwood. Declared: 11/2/62

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Valley Landmarks - Chatsworth

Chatsworth Community Church    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 14

Original location at 10051 Topanga Canyon Blvd, Oakwood Memorial Park. Built in 1903, it is the oldest public building in the community of Chatsworth. It is reported to be one of the few churches of New England-type architecture left in Southern California. Declared: 2/15/63

Chatsworth Reservoir Kiln Site    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 141
Aka Chatsworth Calera Site. Southeasterly from the intersection of Woolsey Canyon Road and Valley Circle Blvd, Chatsworth. Used to make bricks and tiles for the San Fernando Mission. Declared: 4/2/75

Harvester Farms (site and barn only)    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 645

Erected in the early part of this century, the complex of buildings evokes a rural farm atmosphere in the midst of what is now a suburban setting. The main house is a California Ranch style structure. The rear California basilica-type barn still retains a high degree of remaining historic fabric. This site was the headquarters of the Palomino Horse Association of America. The barn was the birthplace of Mr. Ed. Declared: 12/19/97

Minnie H. Palmer Residence  Est. 1913   National Register     Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 133

Chatsworth Park South. This little ranch cottage is typical of those built by the homesteaders of the San Fernando Valley with their own hands. Declared: 11/20/74. Open 1st Sunday each month 1 to 4 p.m. and by appointment.

Old Stage Coach Trail Property   National Register     Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 92
55 acres lying immediately south of Chatsworth Park South, north of Oakwood Cemetery, bounded on the west by the Los Angeles City and County lines and on the east by the western terminus of Devonshire Street, Chatsworth. The picturesque Stage Coach Trail dates from the 1860's and represents a significant phase in the San Fernando Valley when the Trail linked Los Angeles, Encino, Simi Valley and Ventura. Declared: 1/5/72

Olive Trees (76 mature)    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 49
Lining both sides of Lassen Street between Topanga Canyon Blvd and Farralone Avenue, Chatsworth. Native to the Eastern Mediterranean region, olive trees were introduced to California by Franciscan Missionaries. These particular trees approximate the age of Chatsworth itself, having been planted in the latter part of the 19th century. Declared: 5/10/67

Stoney Point Outcroppings
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 132

North Chatsworth. A natural site east of Topanga Canyon Blvd considered one of the most picturesque areas in Los Angeles. Declared: 11/20/74

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Valley Landmarks - Encino

Rancho El Encino   National Register    Map   more photos...
California State Historic Landmark 689

Los Encinos State Historic Park

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Valley Landmarks - Glendale

Alex Theatre  Est. 1924   National Register     Map

Designed by Arthur G. Lindley and Charles R. Selkirk

Casa Adobe de San Rafael  Est. 1871   Museum     Map   more photos...
California State Historic Landmark 235

Built for Tomas Sanchez, first sheriff of Los Angeles County. Restored in 1932 and is now a museum owned and operated by the City of Glendale. Tours first Sunday of each month 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Summer every Sunday 1 - 3 p.m. It's free.

Glendale Southern Pacific Railroad Depot   National Register     Map

Glendale Young Men's Christian Association   National Register     Map

Hotel Glendale   National Register     Map

Huntley - Evans Building   National Register     Map

James Daniel Derby House  Est. 1926   National Register     Map

A Lloyd Wright design.

US Post Office - Glendale Main   National Register     Map

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Valley Landmarks - Granada Hills

101 Deodar Cedar Trees    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 41

White Oak Avenue between San Fernando Mission and San Jose Street. Cedrus deodara-planted in 1932. They are native to the Himalayas and valued for their size, beauty and timber. Declared: 8/3/66

Taft House and Landscaping    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 622

Erected before the turn of the century. The Shingle Style residence incorporates the distinguishing characteristics of wood siding and trim, shingled gambrel roof, double hung windows, dormers, and a wraparound porch supported by turned wood columns. The matriarch of the influential Taft family occupied the home for many years. Declared: 4/16/96

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Valley Landmarks - Mission Hills

Andres Pico Adobe  Est. 1834   Library    National Register     Map   more photos...
California State Historic Landmark 362
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 7

Brand Park / Memory Garden    Map
California State Historic Landmark 150

Given to the city for a park November 4, 1920, it is a part of the original land grant of Mission San Fernando de Rey de Espaņa, and the colorful and picturesque atmosphere of the early California missions is preserved in Memory Garden.

Mission Dam    Map

Mission San Fernando Rey de Espaņa  Est. 1797   Museum    National Register     Map   more photos...
California State Historic Landmark 157
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 23

Established by Fray Fermin Francisco De Lasuen on September 8, 1797. Open daily from 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

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Valley Landmarks - North Hollywood

Amelia Earhart / North Hollywood Branch Library    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 302

Built in 1929, the original building was designed by Lewis Eugene Weston and Lewis Eugene Weston, Jr. in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. It is a one-story red brick building. The building's clerestory contains seven multi-pane recessed windows and has a small hip roof of red Spanish tiles with two chimneys. A second tile roof, below the clerestory windows, extends over offices and a porch. An open-beamed ceiling enhances the Spanish character of the library. Declared: 6/27/86

Campo de Cahuenga  Est. 1950    Map   more photos...
California State Historic Landmark 151
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 29

The birthplace of California. This small park commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Cahuenga which was negotiated in 1847; the treaty signalled the end of hostilities in California in the Mexican-American War. Open by appointment. The adobe is a 1950 replica of the Cahuenga Adobe built on the site in 1845.

David Familian Chapel of Temple Adat Ari El    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 199

Dedicated on November 7, 1949, the Chapel is the first synagogue building built as such in the San Fernando Valley. The history of the Temple congregation dates from 1938. Declared: 9/20/78

Department of Water and Power Building    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 232

Built circa 1939 and designed by noted architect S. Charles Lee, this building is described as an outstanding example of Streamline Moderne architecture. Declared: 7/14/80

El Portal Theatre  Est. 1926    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 573

Completed in 1926, this two-story Spanish Renaissance Revival retail/office/theater building was designed by theater architect L. A. Smith. Declared: 2/9/93

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Valley Landmarks - Northridge

Faith Bible Church  Est. 1917    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 152

Originally known as the Norwegian Lutheran Church, it was built in 1917 in the Gothic style. The church was built in the community called Zelzah, which later became Northridge. Declared: 4/7/76

Oakridge and Grounds (Rancho Cordillera del Norte)  Est. 1937    Map
California State Historic Landmark 484
Built in 1937 and designed by architect Paul R. Williams in the English Manor style for actress, Barbara Stanwyck. Jack Oakie and his wife purchased the home from Miss Stanwyck a short time later. The house has had very few alterations. Declared: 3/23/90

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Valley Landmarks - Reseda

Adams Residence  Est. 1939    Map   more photos...
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 629

Designed by architect Lloyd Wright and owner-built in 1939, this tiny (26' x 26') Modern home was well planned to suit the extremes of climate in the San Fernando Valley. Diagonal placement of the structure to the east- west line, combined with a swooping bat-wing roof and deep over-hangs, controls heat and light. The open floor plan flows around a central fireplace. The house has been continuously occupied by the Adams family. Declared: 10/4/96

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Valley Landmarks - San Fernando

Casa de Lopez  Est. 1882   National Register     Map   more photos...

Erected by Valentine Lopez 1882. Occupied by Geronimo Lopez 1884. It's the oldest remaining building in San Fernando. Open 4th Sunday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Well No. 4, Pico Canyon Oil Field   National Register     Map

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Valley Landmarks - Sherman Oaks

La Reina Theatre  Est. 1938    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 290

The La Reina Theatre opened in 1938 and designed by eminent Los Angeles architect S. Charles Lee. The 875-seat theater was a one-story Streamline Moderne building and was the most stylistically sophisticated theater ever built in the San Fernando Valley. In 1987, its interior was gutted for shops and its facade and marquee were preserved and incorporated into the La Reina Fashion Plaza. Declared: 2/15/85

The Magnolia    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 293

Built in the late 1920's, this Spanish Colonial Revival style residence includes a detached garage and chauffeur's quarters. Declared: 6/18/85

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Valley Landmarks - Studio City

J.B. Lankershim Burial Place and Monument
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 181
North end of Nichols Canyon Road. Born March 24, 1850, James B. Lankershim was one of the subdividers of the San Fernando Valley. Declared: 1/18/78

Laurelwood Apartments  Est. 1948    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 228

Built in 1948 and designed by noted architect R. M. Schindler, they were cited as "an outstanding work by a major architect." Declared: 4/22/80

St. Saviour's Chapel  Est. 1914    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 32

At Harvard School. Designed by Reginald Johnson and patterned after the Chapel at Rugby School in England with the pews facing the center aisle, it was dedicated in 1914. Declared: 2/5/65

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Valley Landmarks - Sun Valley

Stone House  Est. 1925    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 644

Built in 1925, this Craftsman style house features rock walls, gabled roofs, arched window openings, square tower, and a stone chimney. Declared: 12/19/87

Stonehurst Recreation Center Building  Est. c 1930    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 172

Constructed circa 1930 of native stone by Montelongo, an Indian stone mason who, with his helpers, laid the round and smooth rock picked up in the local area. Declared: 3/9/77

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Valley Landmarks - Sylmar

The Cascades    Map
California State Historic Landmark 653

1/10 mile north of intersection of Foothill Blvd. and Balboa Blvd., Sylmar

Griffith Ranch (historic marker)    Map
California State Historic Landmark 716

Mission Wells and the Settling Basin    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 50
The presence of cienegas, or swamp lands, from which water bubbled up, was one of the vital factors in the decision of the Franciscan Padres in 1797 to erect the Mission San Fernando Rey de Espaņa at a site two to three miles west of these cienegas. Havana & Bleeker Streets. Declared: 5/10/67

San Fernando (Pioneer Memorial) Cemetery  Est. 1797    Map   more photos...
California State Historic Landmark 753
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 586

A flat, 3.8 acre Sylmar site covered with native grasses and includes a walkway and memorial patio. This is the second oldest cemetery in the San Fernando Valley and holds the remains of early pioneers, Civil War Veterans, and Mission Indians. Declared: 11/30/93

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Valley Landmarks - Tujunga

Bolton Hall Museum  Est. 1913   Museum     Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 2

McGroarty Home and Grounds  Est. 1923    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 63

John Steven McGroarty was Poet Laureate of the State of California from 1933 until his death in 1944. Built in 1923, this fieldstone and stucco home designed by Arthur B. Benton is now used for art classes, historical and author's groups, musicales and recreational activities. Declared: 2/4/70

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Valley Landmarks - Van Nuys

Baird House  Est. 1921    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 203

Built in 1921 for the family of Robert J. Baird, owner of the Van Nuys Nursery Company, this Bungalow-style residence is now the property of the Volunteer League of the San Fernando Valley, Van Nuys. Declared: 10/18/78

Pacific Electric Picover Railway Station (site of)    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 405
The building consisted of a larger portion, built in 1932, which served as a vegetable packing shed, and a smaller portion built in 1917 as a passenger shelter for Pacific Electric patrons on the Canoga Park line. It moved onto this site after the line was abandoned in 1938. (Destroyed by fire in 6/4/1990) Declared: 1/11/89

Tower of Wooden Pallets  Est. 1951    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 184
Constructed by Daniel Van Meter in 1951 of approximately 2,000 wooden pallets which are 3'x3'x6" in size. The Tower of Pallets, in a 22-foot circle at the base, covers the reported grave of a child buried in 1869. Obscured by dense vegetation. Declared: 4/19/78

United States Post Office - Van Nuys Branch   National Register     Map

Valley Municipal Building (Van Nuys City Hall)  Est. 1932    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 202

Constructed in 1932 and designed by Peter K. Schabarum, this readily identifiable landmark is considered a good example of the WPA-era "Zig-Zag Moderne" architectural styling. Declared: 10/18/78

Van Nuys Woman's Club Building  Est. 1917    Map
California State Historic Landmark 201

Constructed in 1917 as a Craftsman-style building. The club, founded in 1912, is one of the oldest social institutions in the San Fernando Valley. Declared: 10/18/78

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Valley Landmarks - West Hills

Orcutt Ranch (Rancho Sombra del Roble)  Est. 1920    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 31

This 1920 adobe residence was the home of W. W. Orcutt, one of the founders of the oil production industry in California. In 1901, Orcutt discovered the La Brea Tar Pits' prehistoric fossils. Declared: 1/22/65. Open daily Sunrise to Sunset.

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Valley Landmarks - Woodland Hills

Old Trappers Lodge    Map
California State Historic Landmark 939
A "Twentieth Century Folk Art Enviroment". Originally at 10340 Keswick Ave., Sun Valley; relocated to Los Angeles Pierce College

Pepper Trees    Map
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 93
Canoga Avenue from Ventura Blvd south to Saltillo Street. The approximately 300 pepper trees now growing in the city-owned parkway started from a seed (Schinus molle, native to South America) at the nursery owned by Victor Girard of the Blvd Land Company, owners of most of what is now Woodland Hills. The trees were planted in the 1920's and now form an arch over the street. Declared: 1/5/72

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Andres Pico Adobe * Box 7039/10940 Sepulveda Blvd., Mission Hills, CA 91346 * 818 365-7810