
The rich and lively history of Rancho Cucamonga stretches back further than most communities within the region, and part of that narrative still stands in the form of historic properties throughout the city.
As Mayuko Nakajima, Rancho Cucamonga assistant planner, puts it, “a harvest of history is found in Rancho Cucamonga.”
The following is a small sampling of some of the noteworthy historical sites to see as recommended by Nakajima.
Maloof residence and workshops, 5131 Carnelian St., 909-980-0412
Sam Maloof was an internationally-acclaimed woodworker and furniture designer, and his home was an extension of his creativity and love of the craft.
The structures exhibit a high degree of craftsmanship and design, reflecting the back-to-earth counterculture movement of the 1960s and 1970s.
Originally built in 1952, the residence was
relocated from its original site at 9553 Highland Ave. to its current
location due to the I-210 Freeway extension.
Maloof’s
work can be seen in a number of American museums, and has been featured
in numerous television and film productions as well as popular and
scholarly works covering American furniture and crafts. He also designed
and carved the famous John F. Kennedy rocking chair that sits in the
Smithsonian museum.
The
relocated residence has been reopened as a living museum and each room
is filled with personal items that give this unique home its own spirit.
Visit www.malooffoundation.org/tours.cfm for more information on tours.
Casa de Rancho Cucamonga (Rains House), 8810 Hemlock St., 909-989-4970
The
Casa De Rancho Cucamonga (Rains House) is one of only a few buildings
in the city that has been listed on the National Register of Historic
Places – and with good reason.
The
house originally belonged to the 13,000-acre Rancho de Cucamonga. In
1858, John Rains purchased the property and built the house in 1860 for
his wife, Dona Merced Williams de Rains.
Rains
commissioned Ohio brick masons to construct the house from bricks made
by Joseph Mullaly from the red clay on the site, making it the first
burned
brick house in San Bernardino County and the second oldest burned brick
house still in existence in Southern California.
The
house is generally open from noon to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday,
and is owned by the San Bernardino County Museum Department.
Joseph Filippi Winery, 12467 Base Line Road, 909-899 5755
At
one time, there were 60 or so wineries operating throughout the
Cucamonga Valley. Today, however, the Ellena Regina Winery – now the
Joseph Filippi Winery – is among one of only five surviving wineries in
the region – and you can still enjoy some fine wine there.
It
was around 1949 when winery co-founder John B. Ellena focused his
efforts on producing wine vinegar almost exclusively, and the Regina
Grape Products Co., as it was known in 1959, was the nation’s leading
producer of wine vinegar.
Along
with nationwide distribution of wine vinegar, the winery itself took on
the flavor of a destination theme park with daily self-guided tours, an
annual grape festival and resident Lilliputian horses imported from
Argentina.
The
winery continued to produce wine vinegar under the Regina label and
other products until 1992, and a year later the property was purchased
by the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Rancho Cucamonga.
Now
owned by the city, the Filippi family leases the property and it is a
working winery, reception center, and gift store where one can enjoy
wine tasting.
Visit http://josephfilippiwinery.com for more information.
For more on Rancho Cucamonga’s history
If
these historic locations piqued your interest, head over to Rancho
Cucamonga’s Portal to the Past website at www.cityofrc.
us/about/local_history/ The highly interactive site is a true historical
hub for all things Rancho, and there are plenty of archive photos and
well documented articles on various facets within the city and on its
history.