The New Deal in Orange County, California by Charles Epting

Author:Charles Epting
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Inc.
Published: 2014-04-08T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 4

CENTRAL ORANGE COUNTY

ANAHEIM

Although Fullerton is said to have received the most New Deal aid of any city in Orange County, Anaheim received nearly as much assistance during the Great Depression, and many landmarks from this era are still standing. The core of development during this time was Anaheim’s extensive school rebuilding program, beginning with a new high school and continuing with reconstruction of many of the city’s elementary and junior high schools. Anaheim was also the recipient of several works of public art and other governmental buildings.

Anaheim Union High School, founded in 1898, is the third-oldest high school in Orange County, after only Santa Ana High School and Fullerton Union High School. The school has occupied its current site since 1911, when eleven acres were purchased for $105,000. A stunning Greek Revival–style campus was opened in 1912, and in the early 1920s, an auditorium, gymnasium and other buildings were added in the same architectural style.

The classically inspired campus served the Anaheim community until 1933, when the March 10 Long Beach earthquake damaged many of the school’s wood-structured buildings. Although the damage was not as extensive as that suffered by many other Orange County schools, officials recognized the fact that another earthquake had the potential to be devastating. Initial plans called for repairing and reinforcing the existing auditorium and administration building; however, it was determined that entirely reconstructing the building would actually be less expensive.

Architect T.C. Kistner began to draft plans for a new structure (which would contain an auditorium, administrative offices, a library and study spaces), as well as detailing repairs for the gymnasium, machine shop and music building. A special election was scheduled for December 18, 1933, to issue bonds totaling $275,000. The two-thirds majority necessary to pass the measure failed; however, once Kistner’s plans for a striking Art Deco structure were unveiled in April of the following year, the issue was again put up to a vote, and on May 15 the bonds were authorized with a 2,106–813 vote. Additional funds were also sought from the RFC and CWA, but neither materialized.

As funding was being sought for the new school building, a team of twenty SERA laborers worked to raze the original auditorium. During the process, the original cornerstone that had been placed on February 10, 1912, was opened; some of the newspapers and other items were placed in the cornerstone of the new building. The SERA crew also moved the original language and commerce buildings to make way for the new structure.

Legal issues plagued the new building. Kistner’s designs were not authorized by the state until December 1934. As the foundation for the building was being laid in the early months of 1935, it was also announced that the PWA had authorized funds that had been applied for eighteen months prior. After some confusion, it was determined that the money raised from bonds, in addition to the PWA’s $110,000 grant, could be used, leaving the high school with a total budget of $385,000.

Construction finally began on September 9, 1935.

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