Alhambra has many historic homes with charming good looks, fine design and
excellence in workmanship, including classic styles such as Craftsman, Bungalow,
Spanish Mediterranean, Spanish Colonial, Italian Beaux-Arts, and Arts & Crafts.
Early advertising depicts Alhambra as an elegant "City of Homes" in the heart of
the famous San Gabriel Valley between Los Angeles and Pasadena." 
That theme is still appropriate today.
 

Alhambra Neighborhood in 1910.

Today, the City of Alhambra has over
30,000 housing units including:

• Quaint homes often on quiet, tree-lined streets,
  some with historical significance
• New and near-new condominiums
• Rental apartments in all styles and sizes
• Mixed use residential/commercial buildings,
  especially in the Downtown area
• Four public senior housing facilities

Homes located the historic "Bean Tract" area of Alhambra

The northwestern part of the city (roughly from Huntington Drive south to Alhambra Road) is comprised of Alhambra's priciest neighborhood, long referred to as the
"Bean Tract," named after a prominent Alhambra resident, Jacob Bean. Bean was
a Minnesota lumber baron who retired to Alhambra in 1901. He was so taken by the favorable climate that he purchased 104 acres that he developed into citrus groves.
The Bean Tract was subdivided in the 1940s, bordering the highly affluent community
of San Marino. (According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, the City of Alhambra once threatened to annex San Marino, but in response it formed its own municipality--banning bars, gambling and
apartment houses.)

Homes located in the historic "Midwick Tract" area of Alhambra

Homes in the historic "Midwick Tract" are located in the southwest corner of Alhambra.
The 1940s era development sits on the former Midwick Country Club. By March 1948,
175 homes had been completed and 300 more were under construction. The historic connection is still valued by those living and seeking to live in the "Midwick Track" neighborhood. From its inception in 1912, the Midwick Country Club (located on the border
of what is now Alhambra and Monterey Park) was considered to be a championship golf course. It was designed by Macbeth, who was a premiere golfer. Midwick hosted the
SCGA Amateur in 1915 and 1917, and then three times in an eight-year period, beginning
in 1923.The lavish, 208-acre club opened its doors as one of the most exclusive polo,
golf and tennis clubs in the region. Over the years, movie stars and socialites flocked
to there in limousine caravans. The colonial-style clubhouse was destroyed by fire in
1944. Today, the Club's history lives on in the neighborhood, where some streets are
named after famous athletes of the day such as golfer Sam Snead and polo player
Thomas Hitchcock. The site is also the location for several historic movies: "The
Woman Michael Married" (1919); "Their Own Desire" (1929); "The Adventures of
Robin Hood" (1937); and "The Bride Wore Boots" (1946).  

AIRPORT TRACT AND OTHER AREAS AROUND ALHAMBRA

Historic-type homes are located in all areas of Alhambra

The "Airport Tract" was once the landing pad for Alhambra Airport. It is bounded by
Valley Boulevard to the north, New Avenue to the east, Almansor Street to the west,
and the San Bernardino Freeway to the south. When Great Britain went to war with
Germany in World War II, the Alhambra Airport became the official shipping station of
the Lockheed Company, flying in hundreds of bombers for disassembly and shipment to
Great Britain. The Airport continued its operation until 1943, when the 157-acre property
was put up for sale. The post-World War II residential district, referred to as the
Airport Tract, was the result of  a rash of homebuilding and mass-produced homes
for returning soldiers. They were generally much smaller than those that had been built
prior to the War. Today, many of these smaller single-story homes (typically about
1,100 to 1,200 square feet), and are located on tree-lined streets and are being
refurbished and enlarged to accommodate modern lifestyles. 
 
The historic "Emery Park" area of Alhambra commenced with the construction of 
twenty-five new homes for disabled soldiers of World War I, according to an article printed
in the Los Angeles Times on Jan. 28, 1923. The homes were built under the Veterans'
Farm and Home Purchase Act. This information was based on an announcement by
Oliver D. Hefner of the Meyering Land Company, owners of Emery Park, and
Capt. Robert R. Jones, first vice-president of the Veterans' League of California.

Construction in Alhambra 1950s & After

A wide range of apartment, townhomes, condominiums and mixed-use projects
have been built in Alhambra since the 1950s.

A multitude of apartments, townhomes and condominiums have been built in Alhambra since the 1950s. While single-family homes represent over 53% of the city's housing stock, the remaining is in the multi-family category. These range from duplexes to 20+ unit complexes.

Alhambra's first mixed-use project was the award-winning six-story Plaza on Main (110 units of low-income senior housing (designated for those who are at 60% or less of the median income level) and a Denny's Restaurant (located at ground-level). The Alhambra Regency Plaza, completed in 2004, includes 80 residential condominium units and 21,000 sq. ft. of ground-level commercial space.  Mixed-use projects underway include the Main Street Collection at (Fourth & Main). The four-story mixed-use project will include approximately 8,200 square feet of retail space with pedestrian-friendly promenade areas and 52 condominiums, 9 live/work units, 19 town homes, and 6 shopkeeper units. Proposed mixed-use developments include the Casita de Zen, comprised of 92 residential condominium units and up to 5,000 square feet of commercial space with the capability to include two restaurants.