This time I'm going to take you 50 miles east of Los Angeles to a place called Norco. Anybody familiar with this area may be surprised to know that Norco was once associated with such names as Babe Ruth, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and more.Now these days it's not considered the most affluent of places in the I.E. and is somewhat of a last bastion for country folk who like to keep their horses in their backyards. But once upon a time...in the 1920's, it was much different.
It starts with the well-known Scripps family. One of the daughters, Grace, married a man named Rex Clark. Her father was not fond of him due to his strong conservative political beliefs & offered him no place in the newspaper business. After a failed business venture and a nervous breakdown, Grace moved them to La Jolla, CA. Rex recovered and eventually made a good amount of money buying, developing and selling property and soon bought a 15 square mile parcel of land called "Orchard Heights". Rex renamed the place Norco, as it was directly North of Corona (NorCo) and 5 years later the idea of one the most extravagant resorts of the time was born.
Within 3 years, it was complete with a golf course, an air field, a lake, a lake house, a garage, chauffeur's quarters, a gym, laundry facilities and of course a first class hotel, indoor bath complexes, ballrooms, dining rooms and lounges and the first official outdoor qualifying swimming and diving pools in Southern California. All outbuildings were designed by Stanley Wilson who also was responsible for the Mission Inn in Riverside, CA. Interiors were done by A.B. Heinsbergen who also designed the Pantages Theatre, and the architect of the hotel was Dwight Gibbs of Carthy Circle Theatre and Pasadena Playhouse fame.
It became the playground for Hollywood's elite and many films were shot there. Visitors included D.W. Griffith, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford (after whom the Bloody Mary was named), Will Rogers, Duke Kahanamoku (Duke's Restaurants) and more. Fox Studios even built an entire Norconian replica set in their sound stages back in Hollywood.
The Norconian shut down for 3 years for several reasons. The Great Depression, a drought in Norco, Rex & Grace divorced and Rex wasn't doing well financially. But in 1935 it was back in full swing.
In 1938 the Norconian saw huge studio parties from Disney, MGM & Fox. Disney threw theirs for the success of Snow White. It's rumored that things got pretty out of hand and the animators became a little too animated, to the point where people were said to have been fired on the spot back at the studios for speaking about it within earshot of Walt Disney himself.
But it's days were numbered due to back-taxes, debt and other issues. The once magnificent resort closed for good in 1940.
In the years that followed, it served as a hospital in WWII (where it saw further celebrity appearances, but for patient morale purposes), a secret think-tank for the Naval Weapons Assessment Center, an addiction treatment center and eventually a high-medium security prison.
At this moment, it sits there deteriorating. I recently saw video clips of the inside and it was very odd to see majestic pillars, painted ceilings, ornate chandeliers and gorgeous tile covered in the stains of time, abuse & neglect. It has been designated eligible to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places and local groups are currently working to ensure that this forgotten piece of history isn't lost forever.
