The home of Samuel D. Crow, Alhambra's first grocer and Chamber of Commerce President at 117 N. Stoneman.

One of Alhambra's last links to the 19th century, is the former home of Alhambra's first grocer Samuel D. Crow at 117 N. Stoneman Ave. Originally known as "Union" Street, it was renamed Stoneman at about the turn of the century. This vintage 1886 structure, styled in classic Victorian architecture, was originally owned by C.R. Fletcher and is remarkably intact although threatened by the looming commercial structures expanding out from the Renaissance Theater Complex.

Mr. Crow, along with partner William J. Drake, opened Crow & Drake Grocers at the corner of Main and Garfield around the turn of the century. The convenient location of his home to the grocery store (a mere half block), as well as that of Mr. Drake's residence at 32 S. Stoneman, most likely afforded the two a short commute to work.

Mssrs. Crow and Drake no doubt saw the opportunities in our young city, and they became one of it's most successful enterpreneurs. Mr. Crow was also extremely active in early Alhambra civic matters and in 1910, he served as the first President of the newly-formed Alhambra Chamber of Commerce.

As mentioned, this home is in remarkably good condition and has withstood not only the ravages of time, but has staved off demolition from aggressive redevelopment in the area. There has been much community interest in possibly converting the home into a commercial establishment such as a boutique, tea room, or antique store. Similar conversions have been very successful in other cities such as South Pasadena, Pasadena and Monrovia. The City of Los Angeles' Lincoln Heights Historic District has a similar home that was converted into real estate offices.

It is our hope that this structure will be given a chance to thrive by the City's Redevelopment Agency and that a suitable use will be found to preserve and protect this fine example of not only our architectural heritage, but of our civic history as well.

Other views of the home:

Mr. Crow, (left) along with his business partner W.J. Drake (standing right), operated the Crow & Drake Grocery Store at the corner of Main and Garfield.

Mr. Crow lived at 117 N. Stoneman Avenue.

(Above) Front porch

(Below) Looking into the dining room

Transforming this property into a tea room would be a wonderful (and first-ever!) example of adaptive reuse in Alhambra.  This is the type of activity our City should encourage and support.  What better way to preserve what little historic stock we have remaining in town.  We need the City to be better stewards for our community.

— Z. Wong

My husband and I support the idea of converting this beautiful historic home into a tea room.  Alhambra can use a place like this.  A place where people can enjoy not only a good cup of tea, but also enjoy a part of Alhambra's history.  A friend and I just visited a beautiful Victorian tea room in the City of Orange and we were talking about how wonderful it would be if Alhambra had one.  And I kid you not, we even brought up the idea that this house would be the perfect place, a beautiful Victorian home in a prime location.  I hope that this idea will come into fruition.  Tea rooms are very popular and would no doubt attract a lot of business from people who not only love tea, but history as well.   You have our full support.

— Arlene P., K. Carey

I wish to give my support to this valuable project of conversion of the 1886 home into a tea room. I especially like the idea of preserving a home of historical value to the City of Alhambra, and also utilizing it in a commercial venture such as a Tea Room. You definitely have my full- hearted support for this project.

— J. Camperi

Finally! A responsible commercial property owner interested in preserving one of Alhambra's remaining historical sites while opening a wonderful business idea. What a great idea! It'll be a success and we as residents fully back similar projects that have been extremely successful in nearby cities. It's been overdue.

— L. Angulo

As a 30 year resident of Alhambra, I've seen the city transition from a single-family bedroom community to its high density population situation we have now. I know population growth can't be avoided. But, if there is the chance to save one more historic structure, the city planners should welcome that opportunity.

The restaurant row downtown has certainly helped to keep traveling at a minimum to enjoy an evening out. However, there certainly is an intensity of activity that accompanies that convenience. To have a quiet Tea Room as a serene meeting place that the very words "tea room" evoke, would be more than welcomed and certainly frequented by this thankful resident.

— C. Hildreth

My wife and I are for the project...please give the new owner our support.

— Mr. and Mrs. R. Chow

...even though I do not know exactly what a "tea room" is, ANYTHING that does not involve destroying history would certainly benefit the community much more than making way for a car dealership or other commercial venture .

— W. Moreno

Yes!!! This must be saved - it's beautiful!  We were so surprised to see it, surrounded by that parking lot, etc. and wondered what was going to happen to this home or if somebody was actually living in it!  A tea room would be great; antiques or book store as well.  Something the area does not have.

There should be no question about saving it - especially since so much has been lost already and it's in such great condition too!

— E. Rennie

Thank you so much for allowing the community to have input on what is going on in this city. I have lived in Alhambra all of my life and simply adore it here. I find it heart wrenching every time I see an old, historic home or building being razed for something newer and with a lot less character.

This building that you refer to is simply amazing! And I think the idea of converting it into a tea room is great! I normally frequent the tea rooms in Pasadena and to have one so much closer to home would be so much better! It would be a great way to keep this historic building and yet have the city profit from it in more ways than one. I can already imagine taking my mom here for afternoon tea or having a girls day here. It would be a nice break from the Main Street bar scene, and this coming from a twenty-something!

Here's to preserving Alhambra history now and for years to come.

— L. Almeida

I would love to have such a place for tea, when I am waiting for my movie, I could enjoy a bit of history. You have my support.

— R. Octavio

(Above and below) Two exterior views showing the imposing parking structures towering over the home.