834 W. 28th St. -- John H. Norton

John H. Norton (1846-1911), left his Boston area home at an early age to seek his fortune in the west. In 1864 he worked in southern Colorado as a storekeeper and saloon owner, building capital steadily. Around 1870 he sold everything and took a stage to Tucson, where he was appointed by the U.S. government as "post trader" at Fort Grant, a new fort in southeast Arizona Territory. From there he went on to found Willcox, Arizona, where his store today is on the Register of Historic Places. Joining forces with partner Madison Stewart, they created a successful stage line among other businesses in Arizona. He married Mary Frances Van Doren (1867-  ), and in 1891, their only child Amy Marie was born in Willcox.

In 1896 they moved to Los Angeles, where Norton quickly got involved with city "movers and shakers", joining the Chamber of Commerce, and multiple Clubs, including the Jonathan and California Clubs. By 1900 the family had moved into their upper-class home in West Adams. The Los Angeles Public Library has a photo of the house when brand new.  Ours below is from circa 1906.

834 West 28th Street - home of the Nortons

While in Los Angeles he no doubt worked with his neighbors -- two doors west was John Mackay Elliott's residence, and Norton and Elliott were both directors at the Los Angeles Trust Co. (along with George Cochran). Norton also created a new company that performed railroad building work, and invested in real estate, owning the Norton block at his death in 1911.

No doubt when Mr. Norton was with friends, he became known for his stories of the "old days", as the cartoon book "As We See 'Em" by local newspaper cartoonists, showed Norton in his stagecoach still (below).

Norton on the Trail

By 1910 Amy Marie had turned nineteen, so that December her Cotillon was held at the home at 834 W. 28th, resulting in the Society section of the next day's L.A. Herald featuring a photo of Amy Marie.

Amy Marie Dec. 20, 1910

Sadly, father John passed away the next February, but Mary remained in the house well into the 1930's. After John's passing she traveled abroad with one of her servants taking multiple trips to Hawaii.

Today the house is gone (it was probably torn down after Mary's death), and the location now shows allegiance to the nearby university, as the house of Delta Delta Delta (Theta Xi chapter).

Today at the Norton Residence
(courtesy of the author)

Update: A commenter (see below) spotted that the original house is behind the current facade--below is a closeup of the top of the round tower--the decoration appears to be the original...

A closeup of the tower
(courtesy of the author)

J. Ross Clark

James Ross Clark (1850-1927) followed his older brother William A. Clark into Montana, where for 20+ years he worked in mining and banking, becoming successful in copper mines, as well as delving into railroads. In 1892 he moved the family, consisting of wife Miriam (1858-1951), daughter Ella (b.1879), and son Walter(1885-1912), to Los Angeles, where he became heavily involved in railroading and sugar beets, owning a large operation in Los Alamitos. J. Ross envisioned a railroad between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles (as did E.H. Harriman of the Union Pacific) that would allow for Montana mining materials to be more quickly shipped to Los Angeles. Brother William agreed, and along with Harriman formed the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad in 1902. An area in southern Nevada appeared to be a good mid-point for the railroad, supplying water and crews, so in 1905 Las Vegas was born, with J. Ross auctioning off 600 plats (at the direction of Harriman).

Meanwhile the family was enjoying the new house at 710 West Adams Street, part of a growing high-end neighborhood, with families such as the Dohenys mere blocks away, Stephen Dorsey a few doors to the east, and William Kerckhoff second house to the west (you UCLA grads who think you've heard that name--yes it's THAT Kerckhoff). The house as it looked in 1906:

710 W. Adams Street

 Living in the house during the 1910 census were J. Ross and Miriam, son Walter and his wife Virginia Estelle, daughter Ella and her husband Henry Carlton Lee, along with four servants.

In early 1912 it was decided that Walter and Virginia would travel out of the country and return on the maiden voyage of the world's soon-to-be most famous ship. Walter filled out the passport paperwork in January, 1912 and all was set to travel.

J.Ross Clark witnesses son Walter's signature on his passport application Jan. 31, 1912

Ross Clark and grandparents J. Ross
and Miriam--courtesy of UNLV Collections

Virginia survived the Titanic, but Walter died in the tragedy. She returned to Los Angeles, and the house at 710 W. Adams, in grief. That fall Virginia took a "vacation" to assist in recovery, only to notify the Clarks that she had remarried to a man named Tanner. The Clarks, taking care of their grandson, immediately filed for custody of the child, which was awarded, then taken away, ending in Virginia's presence in the Clarks living room with two lawyers and two sheriffs in order to pick up the two-year old.
Interestingly, by 1920 the Clarks had the boy at their house during the census, and took little Ross with them when trips permitted.

In 1913, Homes and Gardens of the Pacific Coast Volume II Los Angeles had this to say about the Clark house on West Adams:

"The home of Mr. Clark shows many interesting English features, notably the brick and half timber construction. The training of the vines over a large portion of the exposed surface, the placing of the small trees and shrubs, and the fine old palms, give the home an air of quiet seclusion. The grounds are well laid out, and are enclosed with wrought iron fences supported by heavy cement posts, over which vines have been trained in a very pleasing manner."

Clark Mausoleum
(Note Date on steps at left)

J. Ross died in 1927, and was laid to rest in a large private vault at today's Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Miriam and James Ross II stayed in the house until after 1944, when it was demolished to make way for an expansion of the Auto Club of Southern California headquarters.




Reference: William Andrews Clark; PBS profile


710 West Adams Boulevard

Russell Judson Waters--900 West Adams Street

Updated 11/20/2016
 
Born in Vermont in 1843, Russell Judson Waters (1843-1911) became a practicing lawyer in Illinois until 1886, when he moved to southern California, founding the city of Redlands. For many years he was city attorney there. In 1894 he moved to Los Angeles, and was elected to Congress in 1898. He was President of Citizens National Bank, and the State Bank of San Jacinto, as well as President of Home Savings Bank. In an article for the Los Angeles Herald in 1910, the Citizens National Bank Board of Directors read like a who's who of West Adams, including J. Ross Clark, E.L. Doheny, J.J. Fay, Jr., and of course R.J. Waters.

In 1910 Waters lived here at 900 W. Adams St.

Waters' photo in the L.A. Herald

In the house with him when the census taker arrived were his second wife, Maude, whom he married in 1905, along with daughters Mable, Florence, and Myrtle. Maude was three years younger than Arthur Waters, L.A. banker, and Russell's only son. It was a first marriage for Maude. By 1911 she was President of the California Federation of Women, and was touring near Placerville when Russell died of a lingering illness on Sept. 25 of that year. He is buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Located next door to the 2nd Church of Christ Scientist at 946 W. Adams, the house was still extant in 1956. Today the church survives, but sadly this mansion did not. Before it was torn down, however, it was featured in the 1940's movie "Curse of the Cat People". 

Here is a view looking towards the front door in the mid 1940's, and an additional earlier photo of the house is posted below--note the large stone step for dismounting from a horse carriage.

The House in 1904 (courtesy of Men of Achievement in the Great Southwest)

Old Homes of Los Angeles