Fall of the House of Baldwin. Part 1 of a 6 part series about Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin's younger daughter Anita Baldwin. By Galen Patterson. See hard copy in VF Baldwin, Anita
Fall of the House of Baldwin. Part 2 of a 6 part series: Anoakia's lifespan. History of Anita Baldwin's residence, a mansion named Anoakia. By Galen Patterson. See hard copy in VF Baldwin, Anita
Fall of the House of Baldwin. Part 5 of a 6 part series: the Pantophagist. An account of Anita Baldwin's cookbook "The Pantophagist." By Galen Patterson. See hard copy in VF Baldwin, Anita
Fall of the House of Baldwin. Part 4 of a 6 part series: This issue of Arcadia Weekly is missing. By Galen Patterson. See hard copy in VF Baldwin, Anita
The Anoakia developer cannot bulldoze the Anita Baldwin mansion without a demolition permit which will not be granted by the city until certain requirements are met.
The City Council voted to allow the developer, Anoakia Oaks, to proceed with the tearing down of Anoakia, the 1913 Anita Baldwin mansion, and to build 31 houses on the property.
Construction begins on Anoakia luxury housing development, on the former site of Anoakia, Anita Baldwin's mansion, on the corner of Baldwin Avenue and Foothill Boulevard in Arcadia. The Anoakia Mansion was demolished last August to make way for 31 homes to be built by Hover Development Inc. of Newport Beach. Anita Baldwin, daughter of Lucky Baldwin, lived there until her death in 1939. It was used as a girls' school from 1941 to the late 1970s. The new housing development is 19 acres.
Anoakia Estates model homes to open for viewing by this spring. The community is made up of 31 luxury homes. Developer is Tom Hover. The homes were constructed on the site of Anoakia, an estate owned by Anita Baldwin, daughter of Arcadia city founder, Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin, at Foothill Boulevard and Baldwin Avenue. The homes will be 2-stories, and 5,000-6,000 square feet.
Fall of the House of Baldwin. Part 3 of a 6 part series: What happened to the Jinks Room murals by Maynard Dixon? The Jinks Room had nine Dixon murals. The Lowry B. McCaslin family, which owned Anoakia at the time, held onto three murals, the rest were donated to the University of Southern California (USC). The McCaslin family bought the Anoakia estate after Anita Baldwin passed. By Galen Patterson. See hard copy in VF Baldwin, Anita
Anita Baldwin statue to be unveiled at Le Méridien Hotel in Arcadia
The Anita May Baldwin statue at the Le Méridien Hotel will be unveiled on Monday, Oct. 25, 2021 at 11 a.m. Anita is the daughter of city founder, Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin. The statue will be featured on the opposite end of the Huntington Drive islands’ hotel property.
“We are very excited to be bringing Anita back to Arcadia,” said Mayor Sho Tay in a statement released by the city. “I would like to thank the Shen, Liu and Chen Families, Jeff Lee, the Dextra Baldwin McGonagle Foundation, Heather D. Gibson and Margaux L. Gibson, and the Arcadia Historical Society, for their generous donations.”
“On behalf of the Baldwin family, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the Arcadia City Council, the Arcadia Historical Society, the Le Méridien Hotel and all those who have supported this effort to pay homage to my great-great grandmother, Anita May Baldwin,” said Margaux Gibson. “This magnificent statue of Anita will showcase a strong woman who was ahead of her time. I am proud to call Anita May Baldwin my great-great grandmother, and I am truly proud to be a part of this historic project.”
The Anita statue was sculpted by local artist and southern California native Alfred Paredes — who created the Lucky Baldwin statue on the corner of Huntington Drive and Holly Avenue — and is aptly named, “A Legacy of Charity” in honor of Anita’s contributions to life in early Arcadia and throughout California.
Writer Charles Cooper recounts the history of the Los Angeles County Arboretum, including previous landowners Hugo Reid and Elias J. ("Lucky") Baldwin.
Who was Clara Baldwin Stocker? Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin's eldest daughter lived lavishly at her home Twin Oaks in Arcadia. See hard copy in VF Baldwin, Clara.
Historical information on Baldwin Lake, the four-acre body of water that adjoins the Queen Anne Cottage in the historical section of the Los Angeles County Arboretum, is presented. The history of lake extends from time of the Native Americans (they called their village Aleupkigna), to Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin's ranch in 1873, to the movies and television shows in which it has appeared. Baldwin Lake played host to movie stars Johnny Weismuller, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour. The lake has appeared in Safari, Roots, and Fantasy Island. See also VF "Arboretum" for hard copy of article.
Arcadia City Council approves a temporary permit for an inflatable Fun Box play area in the parking lot of The Shops at Santa Anita mall (formerly Westfield Santa Anita mall, name was changed in 2022). It will run from March 1 through May 23. The Shops at Santa Anita is at 400 S. Baldwin Avenue.