Though the seasonally decorated “tiny house” centerpiece, known today as the San Marino Holiday House, has never functioned as an actual home, it has long fostered a feeling of family and togetherness within the community.
Over time, much like most family homes, the San Marino Holiday House needed a makeover. From scratch, it was rebuilt as a way of putting a shiny new bow on one of the city’s longest held gifts. The redesigned house took center stage at the annual “Home for the Holidays” event on Dec. 8.
The gingerbread-themed house was brought to life the weekend before the event by a crew of volunteers who constructed the pieces off site and transported them to be assembled at its location on the northwest corner of Huntington Drive and Sierra Madre Boulevard.
“You never know, when you do something like that, if everything is going to fit perfectly together. Fortunately, it all went together, so we must have done something correctly,” Old Guard member Bob Horgan told the Tribune, who added the previous structure had so many drill holes made in it that “it looked like Swiss cheese in some places.”
The Old Guard, a group of former SMHS parents tasked with planning the elaborate grad night festivities for seniors each year, was a key player in making the rebuild a reality. Among those lending a helping hand was Mayor Steve Talt, who rolled up his sleeves to participate, and Public Works staff, who mowed and edged the greenery in preparation of the reimagined centerpiece.
“The Holiday House is truly the result of community effort,” Horgan said. “It was a fabulous feeling on Saturday afternoon when we were almost finished and the cars going by were honking their horns, little kids were waving, people were giving a thumbs up, and then on Sunday, when we were putting the finishing touches on it, people were actually getting out of their cars to take pictures. It’s rewarding to know that people really appreciate something like this.”
Horgan has been a member of the Old Guard for five decades, with both his children and grandchildren being graduates of his alma mater.
Old Guard member and contractor Paul Callahan, who has worked with the group since 2010 but didn’t officially get inducted until 2016, said the San Marino Holiday House was designed with longevity in mind.
“Unlike the stuff we build for the high school graduation event every year, we built this a little bit more rigid, heavier duty than normal construction,” Callahan said. “The structure will sit outside for approximately six weeks withstanding weather. … It’s residential construction grade, so it’s meant to be outside.”
The free-standing wood house is shaped like a rectangle and built to fit outside of the bus stop to avoid having to be attached to it like previous versions. Some of the new features include sheets of plywood with grooves in them that interlock, and the top and bottom portions of the house are made of treated lumber to help it withstand dirt and rain.
The whimsical gingerbread figure, peppermints, candy canes, lollipops, gumdrops and other sweets were cut out by Old Guard member Will Rose. Each handcrafted decoration was painted by fellow members who added color to the collection of pieces that gave the festive scene its final flourish.
City Manager Philippe Eskandar, whose office in City Hall is across the street from the building’s site, applauds the teamwork he witnessed as the house was completed.
“The newly renovated Holiday House is really something special,” Eskandar said. “I had the opportunity to join the volunteers while they were assembling the structure, and in true San Marino fashion, the community came together like few others do.”
Since its inception 72 years ago, the San Marino Holiday House has been known as the “The Little Christmas Church” and later as “The Little Christmas House.” It has also been transformed more than once, each time giving it a new life. This time is no different. However, the city hopes to have it continue to endure and prolong its rich history of spreading cheer and joy this time of year.
In fall 2021, the City Council provided direction to the administrative team to step in and assist with the care and stewardship of one of the city’s oldest community collaborations. To accomplish this, city staff worked with representatives from the former Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club of San Marino and members of the Old Guard to create a plan. When staff learned that the house was in disrepair, a request was subsequently made during the budget process for capital improvement dollars to rebuild the bus shelter house. Community services staff also received funding for the “Home for the Holidays” event, which launched December 2022. The event returned last Friday, bringing city leaders and residents together to celebrate the holidays.
The purpose of the annual event is to honor the rich history of the bus shelter church structure with a modern renovation and create a new communitywide holiday celebration in the center of town.
The Little Christmas Church originated in 1951 by the San Marino Business and Professional Association, an organization that was the predecessor of the Chamber of Commerce. The group wanted to create a Christmas-oriented attraction to promote foot traffic along Huntington Drive following the removal of the train line earlier that year, the San Marino Historical Society documented.
At the former train depot waiting house, the first-ever decorated house arrived, bringing holiday cheer and shoppers to San Marino businesses. In its first two iterations, the themes of the house revolved around Hansel and Gretel, as well as Santa’s workshop.
Three years later, the beloved house needed a more permanent design. The historical society credits San Marino resident and Huntington Drive bank branch manager Paul Cunningham for the new vision of the house. He enlisted the help of prominent Los Angeles architect and fellow resident Herbert Powell for the design, which would include removable components to be stored and reused every year.
Powell, who had been an iconic architect in San Marino, designed Stoneman and Carver schools, the city’s identification marker, and the original San Marino library and high schools. Also included in the project was Elder Morgan of Shepard & Morgan, one of the city’s largest general contractors.
The design was so popular at the time that it received much praise from the media, according to the historical society. In 1954, a columnist wrote: “The Little White Christmas Church of San Marino was a work of art, a Christmas gem, a civic jewel! It was beautiful, dignified, and appropriate, not only to the season of the year but also to the character of our community as a city of homes and homemakers.”
Cunningham and a few fellow BPA members and friends stored, constructed and tore down the house annually, with the city’s support. Like a family does, business owners, church members, and the San Marino Chamber of Commerce joined in to share the work through the years. Likewise, the City Club, Rotary Club and high school students in service clubs helped to maintain the tradition, with the city eventually taking over storage and transportation of the components. Cleaning, minor repairs and paint touch-ups were done in the late 1950s, but in November 1964, the wooden structure had reached a such level of disrepair that it couldn’t safely debut at the beginning of the holiday, so the Chamber of Commerce established a “Save Our Christmas Church Fund.” In response, residents donated $600 — one heartfelt $5 donation coming from a 7-year-old child who forwent a Beatles album she was saving for at the time.
The Chamber of Commerce saw community excitement for the upkeep of the house, so the group continued to fundraise for an all-steel and aluminum building. Eventually, another team of residents, architect Fred Turton and engineer George Wilkerson, replicated Powell’s original design with the new material, which debuted in 1966. That was the last version of the house to be rebuilt prior to the one that stands today, the historical society said.
“It’s clear to me that traditions are of great importance in San Marino,” Eskandar said. “Specifically, traditions that have helped build a sense of community, belonging and spirit. … The Holiday House, for as long as it’s been around and in all its different iterations, has done exactly that. It has served as a place and occasion for the community to come together, enjoy the holidays, and value each other’s contributions to the community. So many generations of residents have played some role in the history of the Holiday House, and to hear the stories of all those involved shows what a special place it holds for our residents.
“From our offices across the street at City Hall, we have a great view of the entire Holiday House installation. With that, one of the best parts of this week has been watching all the residents and children walk past it, stop, look upon it in amazement, take photos, and just soak it all in. It makes all of us here at City Hall smile knowing we were able to play a small part in spreading the holiday cheer.”
First published in the Dec. 14 issue of the San Marino Tribune
