Image: Exterior view of the Church of the Angels, Garvanza, which is now Highland Park near Pasadena, 1898 (CHS-41286)

Description: Photograph of an exterior view of the Church of the Angels, Garvanza, which is now Highland Park near Pasadena, 1898. A tree extends over a dust road from the right foreground casting a large shadow. Two people ride a horse-drawn carriage through an open gate at center. Trees stand to either side of the carriage and a small, brick church stands behind it. The church's tower displays a clock near its top. Hills stand at the end of the street in the left background. Donated by Jim Lewis. "Garvanza was the first town to be founded in Northeast Los Angeles. During the middle of the nineteenth century, Garvanza was a part of the Rancho San Rafael. The area was named for the garbanzo plants which once covered the surrounding hills. Legend has it that Don Julio Verdugo built an adobe nearby and planted these beans in 1833. Later, the adobe was abandoned, but the garbanzos flourished and spread." -- unknown author."The church of the Angeles is the oldest church along the Arroyo Seco. It was built by Francis Campbell-Johnson as a memorial to her husband, Alexander, and a place of worship for the people of Garvanza. The Campbell-Johnston's were early settlers of the area from England. They arranged to purchase 2,200 acres north of Meridian Avenue in 1883, and called it San Rafael Ranch. The Campbell-Johnstons returned to England, while three of their ten sons managed the ranch. The Campbell-Johnston returned to the ranch with his wife early in 1888, but was taken ill and died on January 21. Mrs. Campbell-Johnston returned to England with the remains for burial and while in London decided to build a church to perpetuate the memory of her husband. She selected a site near the town of Garvanza over the objections of friends who thought it should be built either in the Pasadena or Los Angeles. Later the area was annexed by the City of Pasadena. The plans were drawn by Arthur Edmund Street, an English architect and modeled after Holmby St. Mary's Church near Dorky, Surrey, England, Ernest Coxhead, a distinguished local architect, adapted the plans and supervised the construction. The cornerstone was laid on Easter eve, April 20, 1889. The church is faced in sandstone that was hauled from quarries in the San Fernando valley. The interior walls of the church are of red pressed brick, and the ceiling is of redwood." -- unknown author.
Title: Exterior view of the Church of the Angels, Garvanza, which is now Highland Park near Pasadena, 1898 (CHS-41286)
Credit: California Historical Society Collection, 1860-1960 [1]
Author: Jim Lewis Collection
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No