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| A House History of this home was given as a Christmas present. The current owner is an artist and musician. Turns out, a famous musician had lived here during the 1950s. |
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Almost Anyone Can Use a HouStory!
New home owners often want to feel connected to their house's past. They have heard some neighborhood lore, but want to know the truth.
Some clients buy a HouStory for a family member or friend as a gift.
"Thank you so much for all of your help and great detective work
in finding out our home's history. It has been so much fun reading your research!" - Melanie
Realtors often give an abbreviated House History to their clients as a "thank you" gift. Or, they use HouStories to research anything unusual about the house or neighborhood that might help them sell a property.
Home Owners Associations (HOAs) have hired HouStories to give their owners the background of their building, providing a baseline for planned restoration and preservation work.
Developers use HouStories to find out how a building looked before subsequent "remuddles" that detract from the uniqueness of the site.
Environmental Consultants can use HouStories' research to formulate a context statement for a property.
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| An example of a Swiss Chalet craftsman |
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Each Building Tells a Story
Long Beach is fortunate to have many older homes and neighborhoods steeped in history and tradition. Today’s homeowners often look forward to restoring, preserving and enjoying the unique touches these houses offer.
Besides the ambiance of a house, though, it is also interesting to discover its biography. Who built it? Who lived here? Why was it built in this fashion? What was the neighborhood like? There are many clues to a house’s history if you are willing to do a bit of detective work, including records, maps, and photographs.
If you have tried to research your home’s history and been frustrated with the process, give Maureen Neeley, owner of HouStories a call. She just might be able to provide those missing pieces to your home’s puzzle.
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| 1923 Water Co. Map of the Old Alamitos Beach Townsite |
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"Did You Know?"
HouStories can trace the history of a building, even when the address has changed
Many addresses in the old Alamitos Beach Townsite were “in-flux” until the 1920s. In 1921 street addresses were adjusted to reflect the joining of the greater Alamitos Beach Townsite to the city of Long Beach. The streets going east to west had to be joined numerically where the old town ended at Alamitos, and the new town began at the same spot. This is why there is that pesky job when trying to cross Alamitos anyplace south of 10th Street.
Eventually, in 1921, all addresses within a certain parameter were adjusted to reflect a standardized address system:
“Will change number on houses in East Long Beach by Jan. 1”
Houses on e & w streets between Esperanza & Junipero & south of and including 3rd St. to have new numbers. All houses on Broadway, 2nd 1st & Ocean from Junipero to Belmont Pier will be changed.
Long Beach Press, Nov. 6, 1920. Page 11.
Not stated in this Long Beach Press announcement was the fact that the north-south streets were also re-numbered so that the addresses started at Ocean instead of Broadway.
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