In 1839, Mexican Governor Alvarado granted Francisco Sepulveda II lands that became Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica. Later in 1872, the heirs of the rancho sold the land to Robert Baker who portioned a three quarter interest to John Percival Jones in 1874 for establishing the City of Santa Monica in 1875. The eastern boundary from Olympic Boulevard to San Vicente Boulevard was 26th Street. In those early days 26th Street was a bridle trail.
North of San Vicente Boulevard, the trail continued down into upper Santa Monica Canyon to access the polo grounds that my uncle Albert Mirabito sometimes managed, and where the 1932 Olympic Games equestrian events were held.
In the 1920s, a better road was engineered into the canyon providing access to the new Los Angeles Athletic Club and the Riviera Country Club.
In 1948, the Brentwood Country Mart was built on 26th Street near San Vicente Boulevard to provide a country style atmosphere with red barn architecture. It provided a bakery that allowed the public to view the bakers working behind the glass in their white smocks and tall bakers’ hats. It featured Reddi’s rotisserie chicken basket with fries with special ground chili pepper and BBQ red sauce, a patio fire pit with white benches, and picnic tables.
The most unique aspect of the Country Mart was its variety of shops: shoe repair, clothes, jewelry, chocolates, stores for books and toys, barbershop, a U.S. Post Office, and many more conveniences. I learned to ride a pony on the Country Mart grounds.
Between Colorado Ave and Olympic Boulevard on 26th Street, was an industrial area that had a brick factory and a freight train stop to transport bricks, stones, and other building materials.
There was also the Plastic Glides factory that produced the famous hula hoop. Today at the location of the brick factory pit, there is the Water Garden office complex. The freight train has become a light rail metro passenger line from downtown L.A. to the beach.
In terms of aviation, the street was used to move 1920s planes from the Douglas Aircraft manufacturing plant at 25th Street and Wilshire to the Santa Monica Airport known as Clover Field.
As was the custom of the streets of Santa Monica, the streets were lined with trees. And, 26th Street was no exception; lavender flowering jacaranda trees were planted in the curbside lawns.
In 1950, my parents found a vacant lot a block south of the Country Mart. My father handcrafted a ranch style house. It was completed at the time of my birth.
In 1966, the street changed again to usher in the progress of the times. The construction of the Santa Monica Freeway leveled a swath of houses from the 405 Freeway to the Pacific Coast Highway. An important exit was at 26th Street providing a commuter road north to Allenford Avenue connecting to Sunset Boulevard.
The residential boundary road of 26th Street required widening for increased traffic. The two beautiful lavender jacaranda trees planted in front of every house were uprooted, and replaced with a single Podocarpus macrophyllus, commonly known as yew plum pine or Buddhist pine. Curbside lawns were eliminated creating driveways sloping through the sidewalk to increase the widening of the street.
Before, 26th Street was like any other street in Santa Monica. That has changed as the street became a commuter route. Yet, it remains a residential street to be respected for safety and its integrity as other streets in the city.
By David Blundell
David Blundell is a native of Santa Monica and an anthropologist active in the field of environmental sustainability in programs at Santa Monica College and UCLA. He offers his courses through the UCLA Extension Program.
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