Centennial City

“All hail to the infant just born! And may she grow and prosper and become a sturdy giant among the municipalities of the county.” –The Ojai, July 29, 1921

By CRAIG WALKER, images courtesy of Ojai Valley Museum

This summer, the City of Ojai observes its centennial anniversary, celebrating one hundred years as an independent, self-governing municipality. Today, the city is home to about 7,500 residents, with another 22,000 living in the unincorporated areas of the valley. Its citizenry is both active and passionate, often packing city hall to debate issues such as bicycle lanes, short term rentals, and zoning restrictions. Residents take their role as citizens seriously as Ojai tackles the complex issues surrounding growth and the preservation of the city’s historic, small-town character.

Of course, Ojai was a much different place 100 years ago. In 1921, the population of the town was just 728, with 1,500 living in the valley. It was a dusty, sleepy little village; most townspeople lived simple, work-a-day lives, with little thought given to municipal services or planning. In fact, nearly all of the town’s early cultural and civic improvements — a library, social clubs, schools, hotels, parks, and public buildings — had been donated by wealthy, progressive outsiders like Edward Libbey, Sherman Thacher, H. Waldo Forster, Josephine Pierpont, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Nordhoff, and Charles Pratt. The townspeople counted themselves lucky to have such benevolent, wealthy friends, and were happy to accept and enjoy their contributions, but they were also content to let others make them happen. By 1920, some of Ojai’s more civic-minded residents began to question whether relying on the largesse of a few wealthy benefactors was a sustainable approach to meeting the needs of their growing community. The town’s cesspools were overflowing and electrical service was unreliable. What wealthy winter resident would donate a sewage treatment plant or a power station? In 1917, two major fi res destroyed much of the town, triggering a mass exodus by both residents and visitors. It became evident that Ojai could lose everything if its residents failed to manage their town in a more professional, business-like manner. After careful consideration of the matter, the townspeople voted to incorporate, which became official on August 5, 1921. On September 30, 1921, The Ojai newspaper published a front page editorial on the town’s new status, outlining the benefits and responsibilities of cityhood. It’s interesting that the newspaper viewed the beneficiaries of incorporation as both city and valley residents, that they had been united, not divided by the city’s incorporation. “Now that we have arrived at the dignity of a city, we, the citizens of both city and valley, should pause and consider where we are and what we are to do about it. For the first time in our history, we, as a community, are able to think for ourselves as a separate entity. We are conscious of existence as a political unit and of a certain independence. We are no longer the loose-jointed, easy-going, will-of-the-wisp, sleeping on the job people that we once were. Incorporation at once puts every citizen in the district in a different frame of mind. Whether one realizes it or not, this is inevitably the case. One now thinks not in terms of oneself altogether, but must think, or must come to think, in terms of the political and social group called OJAI. Sooner or later, citizens feel the weight of something they have never felt before. If he is the right sort of citizen, pride, self-reliance, interest, a sense of responsibility and the itching of public spirit will manifest itself. The greater the number of citizens of this sort, the greater the progress and glory of the community. When, in a republic, a community decides to govern itself, a subtle consciousness of power arises. Every person walks about with his head a little higher; his careless attitude becomes one of solicitude; he develops and enjoys a sense of responsibility; he has a sense of belonging to the group; he is anxious to see the results of his investment in the form of taxes, and takes credit to himself for whatever of convenience or beauty is added to the community. We have elected our board of Trustees. We must not consider these men our masters.

Left to right: Charles M. Pratt, Sherman Thacher, Edward and Florence Libbey, Charles Nordhoff , and Walter Bristol.

We, the citizens, are the masters. The trustees act for us in carrying on the usual business of government, and thus it is that business methods take the place of hit-and-miss improvements.”

The Road to Cityhood

Ojai’s transition to cityhood was set in motion by Edward Drummond Libbey, owner of the Libbey Glass Company in Toledo, Ohio. Around 1907, Edward and Florence Libbey began wintering at the luxurious Foothills Hotel just north of the town (then named Nordhoff); in 1909 they built a home on Foothill Road and purchased more than 500 acres across the street (the Arbolada). Libbey loved the stunning views of the Ojai Valley from his back porch, but he thought the ramshackle little town needed some attention after 45 years of haphazard growth and neglect.

San Diego architect Frank Mead (above) and his partner, Richard Requa, designed Ojai’s downtown Spanish-style buildings in 1917. When completed, Mead stayed on, serving on the city’s first Board of Trustees.

The Pergola and Ojai's Post Office tower across from The Arcade.

On April 17, 1914, Libbey called a meeting of the valley’s prominent men to discuss the town’s future. He urged them to organize and take action. J.J. Burke, a local banker and real estate developer, announced that he had already purchased three stores on the southwest corner of Ojai Avenue and Signal Street and would be building a new Spanish-style movie theater, which would open later that year. Before the meeting was over, the assembled men organized themselves as The Ojai Valley Men’s League. It had 87 members and 17 Directors. Sherman Thacher, founder of the Thacher School, was elected president, and Walter Bristol, principal of Nordhoff High School, its secretary-treasurer. Over the next two years, Libbey bought up several of the town’s old stores and vacant properties. In early 1916, he formulated a plan to beautify the town in the spirit of the progressive City Beautiful movement. With the help of the Men’s League and several of the town’s merchants, Libbey financed the construction of a new civic center, which included a Spanish arcade fronting the stores along Ojai Avenue and a Spanish pergola, post office tower, and civic park across the street. The new buildings, designed by the noted San Diego firm of Frank Mead and Richard Requa, were completed in March of 1917. The following month, on April 6, the Ojai Valley Men’s League sponsored the first Ojai Day to honor Mr. Libbey for his gifts to the town. It was a day of music, picnic lunches, and celebratory speeches. In his speech, Mr. Libbey urged the town’s residents to continue building a dynamic, beautiful city that would inspire civic pride and community spirit: “There has been too little attention paid to things aesthetic in our communities and in our homes. The time has come when we should encourage in ourselves thoughts of things beautiful, and the higher ideals which art encourages and promotes. Art is but visualized idealism ... must awaken in the

Ojai Ave. Nordhoff California

Looking east at the Ojai's downtown Arcade and Post Office tower.

people the fostering of the love of that which is beautiful and inspiring. Thus, we are today celebrating, in the expression of this little example of Spanish architecture in Ojai Park, a culmination of an idea and the response to that spark of idealism which demands from us a resolution to cultivate, encourage and promote those things which go to make the beautiful in life, and bring to all happiness and pleasure.” On June 16, 1917, a devastating forest fire roared across the mountains to the north, from Matilija Canyon to Foothill Road, then down into the town. The fire destroyed many of the town’s older buildings, but stopped short of the new ones. Five months later, on November 28, a second fire broke out inside one of the downtown stores, destroying most of the buildings in the west half of the new arcade. Libbey quickly financed the rebuilding of the town, and even donated a new fire truck to help fight future fires. The Men’s League was overwhelmed by Libbey’s generosity, but they also realized that the town’s residents must step up and take responsibility for protecting what was now theirs.

Walter Bristol argued that Ojai must incorporate as a city to protect and continue the architectural improvements that were the town’s most important assets: “What [Mr. Libbey] has done has put Ojai on the map, and has stimulated interest in every enterprise within the valley. It has brought business to hotels and stores, stimulated increased values in real estate, and above all given us a sense of the beautiful in architecture, landscapes and gardens, which sets a standard of untold value. Beauty then is a most important asset and must be treasured and advanced as a most precious thing if a community is to grow and prosper as it must, for any people who are content to stand still are fooling themselves, for there is no such thing as standing still. We either go ahead or we go back.” Talk of incorporation dragged on for nearly three years. Some residents were wary of progress; others worried about new taxes and regulations. The Men’s League continued to do its best to deal with various civic needs and problems that arose in both the town and surrounding valley. Eventually, the issue that emerged as the deciding factor was the need for a sewage disposal system. Every household and business in the town had its own cesspool or outhouse, many of which were leaking or overflowing. The smell was noticeable everywhere and at all times, but it was particularly overwhelming during the hot summer months.

The Men’s League investigated the possibility of forming a sanitary district to build and manage a waste treatment plant, but they discovered that the initial costs and ongoing fees would far exceed those of forming a city and operating a sewer plant as a city service. Cityhood would also allow for fi re and police protection, street paving and repairs, city planning; and other municipal services.

A New City is Born

In 1921, the Ojai Valley Men’s League began drawing boundaries, holding community meetings, and recruiting candidates to serve on a board of trustees should incorporation succeed. On May 27, the Men’s League fi led a petition with the County Board of Supervisors requesting their approval for the proposed city. On June 8, dozens of Ojai residents appeared before the supervisors to negotiate final boundaries and speak in favor or opposition to the petition. The county supervisors approved the petition and scheduled a vote by all registered voters living within the proposed boundaries. The result was overwhelming — 127 for incorporation, 44 against. Following certification by the county elections board, the petition was sent to the State of California which declared that, effective on August 5, 1921, the town of Ojai would become the City of Ojai. During the election, several names were placed on the ballot by town residents seeking election to the board of trustees. The top two vote-getters, Glen Hickey and Frank Mead, were elected to full four-year terms; the next three, Ira Gosnell, Clark Miller, and Earl Soule, were elected for only two years, so the board’s four-year terms would be staggered. It was agreed before the election that

the candidate with the most votes would be selected by the board to serve as mayor. Glen Hickey nosed out Frank Mead by just one vote to claim the title of Ojai’s fi rst Mayor.

Getting Down to Business

On August 8, 1921, the new board of trustees held their fi rst meeting in Judge Harrison Wilson’s courtroom at the back of the Ojai Realty building in the arcade (now “The Ivy”). One of the fi rst acts of the new board of trustees was to designate the Ojai Realty building as Ojai’s fi rst city hall.

Above: In late 1917, a fire destroyed the western half of Ojai’s new arcade, demonstrating the need for city services like fire protection.

Above: In 1968, the destruction of the pergola set the city on a course of progress that included the preservation and revitalization of its historic downtown.

Above: Glen Hickey, Ojai’s first mayor.

At that time, city trustees were expected to roll up their sleeves and manage city operations themselves; it wasn’t until 1956 that the Ojai City Council hired its first city manager. Like most small cities in the 1920s, Ojai also had no planning director. However, the new city was fortunate to have Frank Mead on its board. Mead had been a lead architect on Edward Libbey’s 1917 downtown redevelopment project and had stayed in Ojai to manage Libbey’s interests in the valley. As a city trustee, he ensured that the future development of the city would continue in an orderly, professional manner following City Beautiful design guidelines. Once all city officials were sworn in, the trustees began drafting ordinances. One of the first established a process for raising funds through the sale of bonds. Ojai’s first bond election was in 1923 when $1,000 was raised for a new fi rehouse, and $18,000 for a new sewage disposal plant. The fi rehouse was constructed in 1923 (where the store Danski is now). The fi rehouse, with two fi re trucks, was located on the street level with the fi re chief’s residence below, next to the creek. A sewage disposal system, complete with sewer lines and hook-ups, was completed in 1929. Other ordinances written that night included a taxation plan, a schedule of punishments for those violating city ordinances, and a prohibition on carrying concealed weapons within the city limits. The constable was ordered to notify the City Garage (where Topa Topa Brewery is) to hold down their noise on Sunday mornings so as not to disturb services at the Presbyterian Church (then located on the southeast corner of Montgomery Street and Ojai Avenue). The board also ordered that a bootblack be removed from The Arcade.

Between 1921 and 1930, the people of Ojai brought many new and improved services to the town through their new city government, including paved streets and roads; reliable power and water service; and other modernizations. The Ojai Valley Men’s League continued their support of the new city by proposing and promoting new projects and making sure the city fathers stayed true to their founding vision and purpose. In 1927, the Ojai Valley Men’s League changed its name to the Ojai Valley Chamber of Commerce.

The Arc of Progress

When my family moved to Ojai in 1956, the City of Ojai was just 35 years old; by then, it already had most of the city services one would expect of a small California town. Its population was growing, with 4,000 residents and new housing tracts planned north of Grand Avenue and at the “Y” intersection. Most of Ojai’s businesses, however, were still confined to the aging Arcade block, where stores were small and inventories limited. Ojai residents began shopping at the new, modern malls that were opening in Ventura and Oxnard. Real estate developers saw an opportunity. The Ojai Terrace Shopping Center at the “Y” opened in 1960 after a ballot measure overruled the council’s rejection of the project. More shopping centers were proposed on recently-annexed properties both east and west of town. The council and downtown merchants feared that approving shopping centers in outlying areas of the city would lead to boarded up Arcade stores and downtown blight. It was happening all over Southern California.

To counter the developers’ proposals, the city decided, in the late 1960s, to expand Ojai’s downtown commercial district around a more open and central Libbey Park. Using redevelopment funds, the council planned to transform downtown Ojai into a regional shopping destination, with new stores along South Montgomery and Signal streets, a shopping center where the school district offices are located, and a new government complex on South Montgomery Street. For improved traffic flow, the council proposed one-way streets through the downtown, a bypass road through Libbey Park, and widening the state highways to four lanes. Various freeway routes were proposed both into and through the valley. These plans for “the new Ojai” delivered greatly from Mr. Libbey’s vision in which the pergola and arches in front of the park formed the centerpiece of a beautiful, mission-style Spanish village. When the Pergola and arches were damaged by vandals in 1968, the community raised the funds to repair them. However, the council removed them instead as part of their plan to open up the park. The community was so angered by the demolition, the council was forced to rethink its redevelopment plans. It was clear that Libbey’s 1917 buildings were meant to be the heart of the city, both architecturally and psychologically. Instead of creating a new downtown shopping center, the city used its redevelopment funds to rehabilitate the back of the Arcade and create more downtown parking. In 1985, at the urging of local businessman David Mason, the city formed a Cultural Heritage Board (now the Historic Preservation Commission) to protect and manage the city’s historic buildings. In 1990, when it looked like the downtown merchants couldn’t afford to rehabilitate the Arcade, the city acquired the Arcade by eminent domain and rebuilt the arches to meet modern earthquake standards. The following year, the city revived the community’s annual Ojai Day celebration to again honor Edward Drummond Libbey and his vision for Ojai. In 1993, the city purchased and restored the old Catholic church, making it the home of the Ojai Valley Museum. In 1999, the city worked with Mason and a citizen’s group to rebuild the Pergola and its arches. For 28 years the Pergola had been missing; its absence was felt by all those who understood the town’s architecture and the vision it represented. When the City of Ojai began reconnecting with, and investing in, its founding vision as a small town centered on a beautiful Spanish village, it once again began to prosper. Today, Ojai is one of California’s most beautiful and historic cities; it is a desirable place to live and a popular destination for visitors. Progress, it seems, can sometimes be achieved when a city embraces its historic roots, especially when they are rooted in beauty.

Ojai Magazine writer, Craig Walker